The Demigod With The Secrets
by MakaylaCO
Summary: Makayla has a secret. She's a demigod but is different: she's the daughter of two gods and one mortal. If anybody knew then she would be killed without a thought. After 4 years of looking, she finds her brother at an odd Camp for demigods. A threat from a very long time ago has resurfaced and must be stopped so Makayla has to learn to control her sudden powers and save her friends
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome everyone!**

 **Some of you will see this as the rewritten version of The Demigod With The Secrets but to new readers, this is but another story.**

 **Please give this a try, I really truly think you'll enjoy it**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

She'd been running for years and today was no different.

She risked a look back as her feet pounded against the concrete. They were close, very close, so she broke into a sprint. She just needed to find him and then she'd be safe; she'd finally be free from those horrible creatures. That faint feeling was getting stronger; she was getting closer to him. He wasn't that far. Just a little further…

Expertly weaving her way through the crowds of pedestrians, she continued until she was out of sight then ducked into an ally and hiding behind some boxes. She closed her eyes, trying to slow her racing heart. She prayed that the monsters wouldn't find her; she wouldn't be able to manage a frontal attack right now.

She sat until her heart-rate returned to a natural speed, wishing she could just stop and _sleep_ , then took a breath before leaving the alleyway, trying to move casually in sync with the pedestrians on the sidewalk. She slowed to a casual walk, placing a look on her face that said she didn't have a care in the world.

She was wearing her usual clothes consisting of ripped jeans, black tank-top, dark zip-up hoodie, and sneakers that had once been white but were now brown.

When free, red hair cascaded in beach-waves that passed her shoulders, reaching her waist in length. Luxurious pink lips were framed by high cheekbones. A narrow jawline and chin sat perfectly on her slim, heart-shaped face. Her usually pale skin was now suntanned from all the time outside. Her perfectly arched brows sat in a semi-permanent frown on her forehead and on either side of a duchess-style nose, almond eyes as hard as steel were framed by long dark lashes.

People say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul, an interpreter of emotions. Her's were more like triple-locked steel-reinforced security doors with a key she didn't have and a code she didn't know.

A constant shift between multiple shades of silver and purple, her eye color would change depending on her emotions. Unfortunately, that was the main giveaway for monsters to find her; she could switch her outfit, dye her hair, or disguise her voice, but her eyes couldn't be changed despite everything she tried.

She was currently sixteen, close to seventeen years old and a little taller then five-and-a-half feet in height and weighed about a-hundred-and-fifteen pounds. She was slim as always but her stomach had thinned from the little food she ate and her slender arms and legs were now muscled from fighting off monsters and muggers.

The monsters first found Makayla on her second year running while in Iowa. It started as one or two wolf-like creatures but then they started growing in numbers; a couple more here, a few there.

It was close to a year after that when It found her: a living human shadow with no actual body or face. It was huge, around eight feet tall, with glowing green eyes. It never spoke. It just appeared at night when she least and most expected it.

She felt the pain come back as the monsters got closer and gritted her teeth, determined not to give away where she was; she had learned the hard way that the shadow used its power to try to find her by trying to make her scream from pain. Her face was turning red from trying to hold it in but still, she resisted. She kept moving on despite the clawing on her back.

Makayla suddenly stopped when she felt a sudden tugging sensation. Recognizing it, she turned in the direction it felt strongest and ran.

Turning off the sidewalk and down the street, cars honked at her as she cut them off. She followed a road leading through a forest and frowned, confused. Why would he be in the forest? Was he camping? Maybe he was hiding too? Makayla shook the thought out of her head and kept running, the feeling getting stronger with each step she took.

The sky was quickly getting dark fast and if she had to guess, she would say it was about eight o'clock. She cursed, increasing her speed. The shadow couldn't appear in broad daylight without shadows or shade and with the dark of night nearing, It would show itself soon. She needed to hurry.

Makayla cursed when she heard growling, something she seemed to be doing a lot. She had been so caught up in her thinking that she hadn't made sure she wasn't being followed.

She spun around only to be face-to-face with a giant wolf. Turning only served to show those annoying snake-legged-ladies hissing creepily. Looking to her sides she saw more monsters.

Makayla ground her teeth in anger, surveying the growing ring of monsters that surrounded her.

 _'Goddammit! I am so close! I just can't stop now!'_ She thought as she desperately tried to find an opening in the circle of creatures.

Then her mouth went dry as the Shadow stepped forward. She _hated_ that thing, more than anything else. It started slowly moving towards her. Not even bothering to take real steps, It instead just glided over the ground. When It reached one of the wolves that were surrounding her, It walked right through it before re-forming as if the thing was just a shadow.

Every time Makayla saw the thing, she froze. She knew she could still move if she tried but it was almost as if it had her frozen in place from her own pure fear.

It started getting closer and she instinctively moved to step back but a wolf snapped at her when she got too close and she jumped forward to avoid its jaws. Unfortunately, that only served to get her closer to the shadow-creature-thing.

 _'Huh. Shadow Creature. That's not a bad name.'_ She thought in the back of her mind.

She risked a glance behind the Shadow Creature and her eyes widened before she quickly fixed her expression: on the other side of the road was a small trail of grass that looked padded down from multiple people walking on it. She looked at the ring of monsters surrounding her and a plan began forming.

Crazy Idea Time.

She looked back at the Shadow Creature, who had stopped about ten feet in front of her, and gave it a wink. Confused by the odd action, the shadow hesitated. Then Makayla ran forwards into a sprint, heading straight towards the living shadow.

The Shadow Creature wasn't expecting her to do that so it had the effect she was hoping for and startled it. The glowing green eyes narrowed and readied to reach out for her but right at the last minute, right before it attacked, she jumped to the side. She spun around to It's backside and instead ran towards one of the giant wolves.

The monster backed up a step then lunged forwards, snapping its giant mouth. Makayla paused for half a second then jumped onto the wolf's snout. When it opened its mouth, she used that as leverage to launch herself off of the creature and into a flawless flip, spinning 720 degrees midair before landing gracefully on her feet outside the ring of monsters.

Not bothering to even breathe, she immediately headed straight to the small path, running fast. Quickly glancing behind her, she could see the monsters had resumed following her but were starting to gain. She pushed herself forward, her enhanced speed keeping her just barely out of reach.

Her breathing was so hard, her heart feeling as though it would burst from her chest. She was so exhausted and she knew that she was going to pass out soon if she didn't stop. Still, Makayla could feel herself getting closer and closer to him and that gave her the strength she needed to continue up that hill.

 _'I am so close!'_ She mentally urged herself. _'I have to keep go- *gasp* There! Right there!'_

She nearly cried when she finally saw the entrance to that _blasted_ camp after years of searching but she held back her tears of relief, brows furrowed in determination.

 _'It's right there. I can do this. One… Last… Push…'_

Makayla took a deep breath, using all her remaining energy in that one last stretched, and ran. She reached the entrance but right before she passed the giant Pine tree, she was forced to a stop by what felt like an invisible wall. Her heart sunk lower than Tartarus.

"Let me in! PLEASE! Please let me in! I'll do anything!" She cried, pounding her fists against the invisible barrier.

Makayla's heart literally skipped a beat when she saw that the monsters were only fifteen feet away, the Shadow Creature's glowing green eyes getting brighter with the closer it got to It's prey. She turned back to the barrier.

With every ounce of energy, with every single drop of strength she had left, Makayla fought and finally won. She broke through the protective barrier and fell onto the hard ground with an _*Oof!_ *

She immediately turned onto her back and scurried away using her elbows and ankles, silver eyes on the dozen monsters trying to get into Camp with to no avail; the barrier held them back.

Her breathing was so hard Makayla was surprised she hadn't hyperventilated and passed out. But she was close; her eyelids were falling.

The Shadow Creature moved to the front of the horde of creatures but, thank the gods, it too couldn't pass the barrier. Instead, it stared fear into her heart with It's blank expression and those muck-green eyes. She knew her face portrayed her fear but Makayla couldn't look away.

 _(A/N: muck-green: fern green)_

One of the giant wolves suddenly yelped and then turned to dust, an arrow digging into its side.

The Shadow Creature quickly changed its gaze to something besides her and made a horrible growling sound. Makayla just managed to turn her head enough to see someone move to stand over her, bow in hand. Her gaze turned to the Shadow Creature as it glared one more time.

 _'Until the next time.'_ It's glowing eyes said.

It dissolved to nothing into the growing shadow of the Pine Tree.

Makayla's gaze turned back to the person who stood above her. She didn't see anyone else but him. Faster than she could blink, the person knocked and fired arrow after arrow. With each one, more wolves and dracaena turned to dust. In just seconds the creatures were gone, dead or had run away.

Seeing the threat was now gone, the person quickly slung their bow over their back and turned to kneel beside Makayla, who was starting to lose the battle of consciousness. He leaned her against his knee and put his hand on her forehead. She could hear his voice talking but her tired mind deciphered nothing but gibberish.

He faded from Makayla's vision and she fell unconscious before she knew what was happening.

* * *

 **And that concludes the first chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue.**

 **Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome everyone to chapter 2!**

 **I would guess some of y'all were expecting an update later in the week but because this is new I figured, why not post another one to get things started?**

 **Again, don't expect a post every day; this isn't my main focus at the moment. I'm just doing this to fix my _super_ cringy original and finish it up since it was on hiatus.**

 **Anyway!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

When Makayla finally regained consciousness, the first thing she saw was white.

She was blinded by the light at first but her eyes began to adjust given time. She blinked several times and moved her head, wincing.

To her left, a guy with blond hair and a white doctor's coat was digging through a drawer, mumbling to himself. He must have had pretty good hearing because as soon as she tried to sit up, he turned. He saw what she was trying to do and rushed over.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down, there's no need to get up so soon. You're still pretty weak. Just sit back down." He told her gently; his voice was friendly and soothing with a melodic tone.

He placed his hands on her shoulders and softly pushed Makayla back onto the bed, making her sit. A strange calming sensation flowed through Makayla when he touched her and she hid a frown, confused.

"You shouldn't get up just yet. Just wait a bit. You have a lot of injuries that need to finish healing."

"Who are you? Where am I?" The redhead asked in response. Her eyes demanded an answer but otherwise remained poker-faced.

Her soprano-tone voice was naturally mellifluous and pleasantly beautiful. The past weeks had left her tired and weak but now, both her body and voice felt and sounded stronger than she remembered and guessed she had been unconscious for 24 hours or more.

"My name is Will Solace." The blond introduced, giving her a bright smile. "I'm a son of Apollo, a healer here at Camp Half-Blood."

Judging from his friendly attitude and kind smile, Makayla didn't doubt that Will was a nice guy but she had learned a long time ago to trust no one. The healer's smile then turned to a worried frown.

"I patched you up the best I could but what had happened? You were banged up really badly and slept for three days, almost four."

Makayla's purple eyes widened slightly. _Four days!_

Well, she did feel more rested than she had in weeks. Still, that was too much time wasted. She couldn't afford to waste anymore.

She pressed her lips to a firm line and stood and took a step forward. She stumbled when a sharp pain stabbed her back and gasped but gritted her teeth, ignoring Will's protests, and took another step. Will reached out and caught her before she tripped, telling her to sit back down, but she shook him off.

 _'I don't know him. I can't trust him.'_ She reminded herself firmly.

Will turned to grab for something and Makayla took that as an opening to rush out the door. She stepped outside and the sun hit her face, blinding her like... well, like the sun.

She started when she heard Will calling and ran. She ran past a bunch of people in leather armor and orange shirts but ignored them; she was used to those looks. She ducked behind a strange casino-looking building and paused for a moment, breathing deeply and trying to figure out what was going on.

The memory hit her and she took off again.

 _'He's so close! I can feel it! It's like he's right in front of me!'_ She gasped excitedly.

That familiar feeling… It was unbearably strong, stronger than it had ever been before.

Makayla's eyes widened when someone appeared out of basically nowhere and tried to skid to a stop but was too distracted by her thought and ran into them. To prevent falling onto her face, Makayla tucked herself into a side-roll before jumping back to her feet.

She turned back around to see who she knocked down. The girl was beautiful, Makayla would give her that, even if her braided hair was choppy and messy, falling in front of her multi-colored eyes.

"I'm so sorry about that! I- I didn't see you, I'm sorry!" Makayla awkwardly apologized as she helped the girl to her feet.

"Haha, it's totally fine." The girl brushed the apology away easily, accepting Makayla's hand to help her to her feet. The girl brushed herself off then glanced up, a funny look on her face as she scanned the redhead. "I don't think I've seen you around before. You from Camp Jupiter?"

"Actually I'm new. I just got a few days ago." Makayla half-lied.

"Ah, makes sense then. My name's Piper."

"I'm Makenzie. You can call me Kenzie. Sorry again for knocking you down. I- I wasn't watching where I was going." Makayla mentally facepalmed, reprimanding her still-tired mind for the stupid alias.

"Nice to meet you, Kenzie. And again, it's perfectly fine." Piper smiled. Makayla tried to smile back but couldn't. She was too worried about him. Piper was waving her hand in front of the redhead. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

Makayla shook her head. She realized she had zoned out what Piper was saying.

"Huh? Oh- uh, sorry. I-I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Piper wondered curiously.

Makayla paused. She didn't want to tell anyone but maybe she could help her…?

"Actually, I'm looking for someone. I was really hoping that he would be here at camp." She relented.

"Maybe I could help? I know pretty much everyone here." Piper offered. "Who is it you're looking for?"

Makayla again paused but again gave in. She had to find him; she needed to and fast!

"I'm looking for someone named Leo… Leo Valdez."

𐆖 Ω 𐆖 Ω 𐆖 Ω 𐆖

Makayla didn't let her desperation show but felt a weight lift from her shoulders when Piper smiled widely.

"Leo? Of _course_ I know who he is, he's practically my brother!" Makayla mentally winced at that. Piper frowned for a moment while she thought. "I haven't seen him almost at all today so knowing him, I would say he's hiding out in Bunker 9."

"Thank you so much!" Makayla sighed in relief, feeling like a ton had been lifted from her shoulders. She turned then paused. She bit her lip then asked, "Um… Where exactly is Bunker 9?"

Piper laughed and gestured for her to follow.

"C'mon, I'll show you. I've been looking for that knucklehead all day anyway!"

The redhead quietly following behind, Piper started into the woods. Believing her to be a new camper, the daughter of Aphrodite told Makayla all about Camp Half-Blood: she talked about everything, from the cabins to her boyfriend Jason to a campfire to war-games.

Makayla mentally rolled her eyes many times to count, not rude enough to say that she didn't care the slightest bit.

The two girls arrived at what looked like a huge wall of stone after walking for several minutes, only a part of the giant rock was opened inward like a door. Piper gestured for Makayla to follow her and headed in. It was huge inside, an aircraft hanger sized workshop filled with tools and machine parts everywhere, random pieces of metals and tools scattered all around the floor.

"LEEEO?!" Piper called out as she and Makayla walked in deeper, cupping her hand around her mouth. Her voice echoed throughout the bunker. "I know you're in here, Repair Boy! Get your body butt over here!"

Makayla heard a metallic clang followed by a shout of pain and someone yelling, the voice's echo in the giant space making their words intangible. Her silver eyes widened. That voice! She had been looking for it for almost four years. The voice cleared as they got closer.

"Alright, I'm coming. For Hades' sake, you nearly made me burn myself!"

Piper replied by saying something about being unable to burn but Makayla wasn't listening. She saw someone jogging towards them and they came closer into the light. That's when she saw him.

He looked different from last time but she recognized him immediately. He was older than before but still had the same curly hair, the same brown eyes, the same dark skin, and he still wore that same grin that said he was about to pants you. The only difference was a tool-belt buckled around his waist.

Makayla stood frozen; she could only stare with wide eyes, too relieved and too happy to form words. She couldn't believe it... She finally found him! After looking for almost four years...!

Leo was wiping his grease-covered hands on a rag as he neared the two girls.

"Okay Beauty Queen, what is it? You and Jason have been bugging me all day-." He suddenly cut himself off and his brown eyes widened when he saw who stood next to his friend.

He stared, disbelief clear in his wide eyes.

"Ma- Makayla? Is... Is tha- i- is that r- really you? Are you real?" He managed to stutter. His voice shook with emotion.

Makayla could only nod, tears in her purple eyes. A sob escaped her lips before she threw herself forward. Leo immediately accepted her, arms wrapping tightly around her.

"Oh my gods! Makayla!" He laughed, spinning her around. Tears were in both their eyes as they embraced. "I- I can't-! I can't believe it's actually you!" He set her on her feet and he held her back at arm's length as his brown eyes looked her over. " Gods you're so _big!_ Hahaha! Just _look_ at you!"

"It's been years Leo!" Makayla laughed, wiping the tears of joy from her eyes. "I can't even- I'm just so happy that I'm finally here with you."

Leo chuckled.

"I know! It's been so long! I gotta admit, I definitely wasn't expecting you here of all places… Here… You're here… at… at camp..."

Leo's smile slid off his face as her words sunk in. His eyes suddenly darkened and he said nothing for almost half a minute before he lashed out.

"Makayla, what the _hell_ are you _doing?!_ " He exclaimed, voice angry. "You know you can't be here! What were you _thinking?_! You have to leave _now!_ "

* * *

Makayla's face was red.

Yes, she shouldn't be there; she's endangering everyone by just her presence. But she needed to. And after seven years of looking for him, the first thing he did was yell at her to leave?! That tipped her over the edge.

Makayla's hands clenched into fists and she swung, her fist colliding solidly with Leo's face.

Piper gasped in with wide eyes as Leo staggered back.

" _Ow!_ What the _hell_ Makayla?!" He exclaimed, holding his jaw.

 _"That_ was for not telling me before you left and for not calling or even writing this entire time!" Makayla huffed, glaring knives.

"Wha-?! Who do you thin-!" Piper started angrily but Leo cut her off, wincing as he moved his swelling jaw.

"It's alright, Pipes, I actually deserved that." He admitted. Makayla frowned, crossing her arms. "And by deserve, I guess I meant- _OOOOWWW!_ "

Leo's knees buckled and he cried out in pain as he held himself, making a breathless-wheezing sound. Makayla had kicked him in his weakest place.

"And _that_ was for yelling at me after not seeing me for _seven! F**king! Years!"_ The redhead growled.

Makayla let him deal with his pain for another minute before feeling bad. She sighed, offering him her hand.

The curly-haired mechanic gazed at her hand suspiciously then relented. She pulled him up to his feet and Leo raised an eyebrow at her strength. The redhead didn't comment, instead wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. Leo returned the hug without hesitation, his arms moving around her in return.

"I'm sorry, Leo." She apologized with a sigh. "It's just- after not seeing you for so long I was- well… I was sort of just expecting something else."

She looked back up and their eyes met. Leo could see the seriousness in her swirling purple colors and the intensity set him on edge.

"But I came here for a good reason: I need to tell you something important. It's the reason I've been looking for you all these years. Something's happened and I was-"

Leo stepped back from Makayla's grasp and waved his hands in a 'time-out' gesture.

"Woah, woah, woah, hold up. What do you mean, 'looking all these years'?" He narrowed his eyes like he was searching for something andw Makayla kept on her usual blank expression, hoping he wouldn't read her eyes. He frowned. "Makayla… What have you been doing since I left? Where've you been?"

Makayla bit her lip. She opened her mouth then paused and closed it.

 _"What_ are you two _talking_ about?! Who is she and what is going on?" Piper suddenly demanded.

Makayla jumped, having forgotten she was there.

"Don't worry about it, Beauty Queen," Leo assured her casually. "Makayla was one of my best friends when I lived in Texas. We've known each other since we were really young and I'm just surprised cuz I didn't expect to see her again, especially not here at Camp."

Makayla raised an eyebrow. Leo sounded really convincing; if she hadn't known the truth she would have believed him. Piper still looked a bit suspicious at his explanation but nodded anyway.

"Okay then. Um… Do you want me to go?" She asked a bit awkwardly, gesturing over her shoulder.

"Yes, please," Makayla answered before Leo could.

The daughter of Love turned at Leo who just shrugged and agreed. So Piper bid her best friend goodbye then turned and left the bunker.

"Leo is there anyone else in here?" Makayla asked, gesturing around the bunker. Leo shook his head.

"No, it's just us right now. Why?" He wondered.

Makayla didn't reply. Instead, she grabbed Leo's wrist and dragged him out of the bunker and into the woods.

* * *

 **And that concludes the second chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you to all who follow this story and I hope any new readers will too. Cuz trust me, I know it seems slow right now, but it gets _sooo_ much better next chapter ;)**

 **Also, this chapter is gonna be explaining a lot so there won't be much action. I'm planning to keep most of my chapters between 2,500-3,000 words though there will be some talking ones that'll be** **shorter.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

After walking a good distance, Makayla figured they were far enough away from listening ears and stopped.

Leo again tried to yank his hand away so she let go of his wrist, causing him to stumble back and fall onto his butt. He grumbled and stood, glaring at the tall auburn-haired girl in front of him as he brushed the leaves from him.

"Okay, first: why and how are you so strong?" He started, still glaring. Makayla shrugged. "Second, why'd you drag me out here?" He suddenly seemed to snap. "For gods' sake, Makayla! You know you can't be here! If anyone finds out anything about you, your parents, the danger that you're-"

"Shut up, do you think I don't know that?!" Makayla cut him off, fingers rubbing her temples; she was already starting to get a headache. "Look. I just… I just need to tell you what I was told to say, okay? Then I'll go and you won't have to deal with me anymore."

The mechanic sighed heavily, not wanting to argue anymore.

"Fine. But make it quick; it's dangerous to be in the woods this late."

Makayla looked up at the sky and saw that it was, in fact, getting dark. She then looked to her left and saw a faint light that she guessed was the big fire Piper had told her about. She sat down on one of the huge rocks on a nearby boulder pile and gestured to Leo. After a moment's pause, he walked over and sat.

"What was so important that you needed to drag me out here to say?" He practically demanded.

Makayla opened her mouth then paused. She knew Leo wasn't going to like what she was about to tell her, not in the slightest, but she also knew that he needed to know.

"Leo, I need you to listen to what I'm about to say and do not interrupt me. When I'm done, I'll answer all your questions then I'll leave. Deal?"

Leo hesitated. If she told him not to interrupt then that means she's probably going to say something he won't like. But thinking back he realized that, despite all the time that's passed, he still trusted Makayla. So he agreed.

"Good." Makayla gave a nod. She took a deep breath and began. "You… You aren't going to like this but I swear that I am completely serious. A few weeks ago, I had a dream. There was a strange voice. I didn't recognize it and I couldn't see who it was but the voice was warning me. It told me something that could be dangerous if heard by the wrong people and said to only tell you. But first…" She paused for a small moment, clearing her throat. "Leo, do you remember what used to happen before you left? What happened when I had my… my accident?"

Leo nodded slowly; it was a memory he doubted he would ever forget. The reminder made him wonder suspiciously where she was going with the conversation and, unfortunately, he had a distinct feeling that he wasn't going like it.

"Do you also remember how we had thought that the thing had disappeared afterward?" She continued. Another nod. "Well, it did but only for a little while. You have to- I gotta tell- I don't-" Makayla rubbed her temples in frustration. "Look, what I'm trying- I need- _ARGH!_ It's back! It's back Leo, and It's so much stronger."

Leo's brown eyes widened comically as she finally found words.

"WHAT?! It's _back?!"_ He practically shouted. Makayla nodded sadly. Leo stood and began pacing back and forth, his hands tangled in his curly hair. His face was ridden with obvious concern and fear and the temperature of his body was getting rising as his worry grew. "Bu- But how-? How did it come back? It was gone for _years,_ completely disappeared!"

"I don't know Leo but you need to tell whoever's in charge," Makayla told him seriously, unconsciously rubbing her back. "Even if I leave, my scent is still here so everyone is in danger, way more than normal."

"But this thing can't even be fought. How are we supposed to do anything against it?" Leo trailed off as he saw her movement. His voice lowered into a suspiciously worried tone. "The attacks happening again, aren't they?"

It wasn't a question and Makayla's gaze dropped, chest tightening from fear.

"Yes..." Her voice was small.

"But how? The attacks were supposed to stop happening after you were given your necklace." Leo lowered his gaze then narrowed his brown eyes. "Makayla, do you still have it?"

The redhead nodded and reached into her shirt. She pulled out the small chain, leaning her head back to show him. Leo sighed in relief. He moved to one knee in front of her, taking it in his hand to look at it closer.

The charm on Makayla's necklace was made of Tungsten Carbide in the shape of the Horseshoe, a symbol of luck and protection, with twelve tiny silver gems decorating it. It was something that anyone would easily mistake as a simple charm. But, known only to four people on earth (formerly five), the talisman was much more than just a necklace charm.

Each time an attack happened one of the silver gems on the talisman would disappear. Inside each gem was an immense power that would be used to protect Makayla from the full strength of the Shadow Creature's attack. If not for the protection the necklace gave her, she would've been dead long ago.

Last time Leo saw it, only two protective gems were missing but now... Now his heart sank to the bottom of Tartarus. He looked back up at Makayla, praying she would tell him it was a cruel joke, but she instead sighed with lowered eyes.

"Leo... The attacks did stop but only for a while." She told him, voice quiet. She wouldn't meet his gaze. "My necklace did and does protect me but the Shadow Creature is getting stronger every day. Each time it happens for longer and is more powerful. It… it came back a little after you left."

Leo frowned at that.

"Why would it come back after I left? And how many have happened since then?" He asked. The slim redhead didn't reply for a long minute.

"I was wondering the same thing, to be honest. I asked the voice in my dream and they said that the Shadow was somehow weaker when you were with me. They said that we were more powerful together and could resist the attacks better than if I was alone."

"Okay... That makes sense I guess. But you didn't answer my other question," Leo reminded pointedly.

His chocolate brown eyes stared deep into her dark silver eyes. He cupped his childhood friend's cheeks in his hands, still kneeling in front of her. His skin was warm as always but his temperature was only growing higher. Makayla still wouldn't look at him.

"How many attacks have happened to you since I left?" He repeated.

He said it with a soft voice but it was obvious that he was expecting an answer from her. Makayla sighed and closed her eyes; she knew she wasn't going to get out of this. Leo's hands were really hot now and kept getting hotter with each second as nervousness and worry grew. She put one of her hands over one of his, which were still on her cheeks.

"Leo, just... just look." She sighed, her free hand holding the necklace out for him to see. "How many do you see left?"

Leo furrowed his eyebrows at her avoiding his question but looked at it anyway. His eyes widened and his heart skipped. He almost cried at the sight in front of his eyes: when Makayla first was given her necklace there were twelve gems on it to protect her. He had only known of two attacks but now there was… only... one...

But in the past forty-seven months since Leo had left Makayla by herself... since he had abandoned her... his best friend for so long had been attacked by the Shadow Creature _nine_ times.

* * *

Leo stared at Makayla in horror.

How was she even still alive and in front of him?!

"Why didn't you tell me before?! I could have helped you!" Leo said- well, shouted.

A distracted part of Makayla's mind wondered how no one had heard the two of them and came looking. She pressed her lips into a tight line in response and stood, a fire in her swirling eyes.

"Well, I would have if I could have actually _found_ you!" She argued, hands in fists. "In the last four years, I have been looking all over the world for you Leo! I ended up in _Europe_ and _still_ couldn't find where you were!"

Leo winced. He opened his mouth to try to explain but Makayla wasn't done.

"Every time I thought I found you, you moved someplace totally different! Some random disembodied voice had to show up in my dream before I finally found out where you went. It told me to go to Long Island Sound in New York and look for a hidden demigod Camp. It told me to tell you about what's been happening and that once I told you, you could help protect me from The Shadow creature and all the rest of the monsters that have been trying nonstop to kill me since I was _eleven!"_

Makayla's outburst seemed to take all her energy from her and she fell back onto the ground, her knees up to her chin and her arms around her legs. Her voice dropped to a whisper.

"That's why I was so desperate to find you, Leo. I was and still am terrified of that thing. It hunts me down and attacks me and it… it hurts. I'm so scared that it'll find me again, that even here it will find a way to get to me. And not just…"

Leo kneeled in front of her, taking her hands in his own. His temperature was burning now, hot enough to have burned through anyone else's skin.

"Not what?" He asked her, voice still expressing his worry.

The silver-eyed redhead looked into his own eyes and Leo saw her fear as clear as the crescent moon above them.

"Leo, it hurts me." She whimpered. "Not just in my sleep. All the time; when I'm awake when I'm running…" She trailed off, taking a shaky breath. "It's not just a shadow anymore. It has its own body."

Leo's heart stopped once more.

"It… But- but how is that even possible?" He stuttered. She shook her head.

"I don't know. I just know that I am _so_ scared and I don't know what to do-" Makayla's voice caught.

She was ashamed of herself; she was never like this. Yet here she was, crying like a child. She threw herself into Leo's embrace and the Latino didn't hesitate; he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight while she cried into his chest.

He didn't say anything. He just held her.

 _'I will not let Makayla get hurt again.'_ He promised himself, holding her even closer. _'No matter what happens, I will not let her get attacked by that thing again.'_

If only Leo knew he was about to break that promise.

* * *

 **And that concludes the third chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue the story. Feel free to leave a review. Criticism, complaints, advice, or complements are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I've been so bored lately so I've just been working on rewriting this story. I've rewritten _all_ the old version chapters that were posted and wrote the next two as well! I'm totally on a roll right now and I'm feelin' good!**

 **And when I looked back at this chapter I was like** ** _"Whoa! That was sooo long ago!"_** **Hahaha, I guess my mind goes too fast but I have fun so I guess it's a good thing.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

After talking with Makayla, Leo realized how late it was.

He glanced through the trees and could make out what he assumed was the campfire. He knew that Piper and Jason would go looking for him if he missed that. So he stood and helped Makayla to her feet as she calmed herself. He gently held her shoulders and pulled her back to look into her silver and purple eyes.

"We're gonna have to get back soon otherwise my friends are gonna come looking for me." He said. He paused. Makayla's eyes widened slightly, not used to seeing him so serious. The son of Hephaestus continued, "Makayla… People here are going to ask you things about yourself: who your parents are, where you're from, why you're here when older than thirteen... You cannot tell anyone about your parents. No one can know. And you can't tell anyone anything about your past either, not even the Camp Leaders. Only you and me. The more people that know, the more dangerous it'll be for you. Promise me you won't tell anyone?

Makayla nodded faintly.

"I promise." She agreed quietly, eyes down.

Leo let out a sigh of relief. He stood and gave a dramatic bow, offering a hand to the redhead. Makayla rolled her almond-shaped eyes but accepted his hand anyway and stood. He paused for a moment and looked her over before grinning.

"We should get you cleaned up when we get back." He suggested with a wink. "I doubt you'll want people seeing you with messy hair and tears stains."

Makayla swatted Leo's arm but had to smile. She wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and brushed her fingers through her long red hair as she followed him back to camp.

She felt him try to trip her and gasped in playful disbelief, shoving his shoulder. He laughed and returned the gesture but caused Makayla to trip over a root from a nearby tree and fall. Leo's hands went to his mouth and he gulped as he saw a familiar wicked glint come to the redhead's eyes. She stood and Leo immediately took off. She laughed and ran after him, following the familiar sound of his own laugh.

Makayla couldn't wipe the smile from her face as she chased after the son of Hephaestus. After years of being alone and sad, it felt so good to laugh with someone she was so close with. During her years alone, she never really talked to anyone as she mostly kept to herself and by doing so she rarely heard or saw anything that would make her laugh.

Leo led the small chase back into Camp Half-Blood, starting towards the large campfire. Makayla knew for certain that she was faster than he was but still, she let him keep his lead. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, he stopped so suddenly that she ended up crashing into him and caused them both to tumble head-over-heels down the small hill that led down to where all the campers were sitting and singing.

Tumbling over each other, Makayla and Leo finally stopped when they reached the bottom of the small decline. Leo put his arms out in front of him right before he would have landed on Makayla. She was on her back with Leo hovering over her, both still laughing but now panting lightly.

The attention of the two was caught when someone whistled a cat-call.

Their gazes met a smirking Travis Stoll and Connor Stoll, who were trying to stifle a laugh. Makayla and Leo looked around and saw that dozens of campers were staring at them in silence.

Blushing furiously, the son of Hephaestus managed to stand without kicking Makayla and helped her up after him, her face also pink. Once she stood and brushed herself off, Makayla noticed that the majority of gazes were directed at her and automatically went defensive, ready to move at the smallest movement that could be considered a threat.

It was so silent; the only sound that could be heard was the crackling of the fire and occasional whisper. Leo caught her attention shook his head slightly, giving her a look that Makayla could practically hear:

 _'Relax. There's no threat here.'_

But at Camp Half-Blood, Makayla knew no one but Leo and so she trusted no one but Leo. Every time she had trusted someone, they betrayed her. Her automatic defense was a natural habit she didn't want to rid.

Makayla looked behind her when she heard a sound like a horse on cement. When she saw a half man-half horse, she expected herself to be surprised but instead, she felt herself mentally shrug it off.

She'd seen weirder.

Leo walked over to the horse-guy and said something. The horse-guy nodded in understanding and they moved over to Makayla.

"I am Chiron." His voice was kind and comforting, like the blond doctor-guy she talked to when she first woke up. "I do not believe I have seen you here before, so I assume you are a new camper?" Makayla nodded, remaining silent. "Alright then. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

Ω Ω Ω

Makayla wasn't sure what to think.

After the centaur led them both a small way away, she had gestured for Leo to talk instead. So the curly-haired mechanic did, saying that she was an old friend that came to see him and turned out to be able to pass the border. Chiron nodded, believing the story.

"And you say that neither of you knows who your godly parent could be?" Chiron repeated, directing the question to Makayla.

"She said she's been trying to guess since she discovered that she's one of us. So she came here to talk to me and try to figure that out." Leo lied.

"And you, my darling? Have you anything else to add?" The centaur asked Makayla politely. The redhead tucked her wavy red hair behind her ear.

"No, Leo covered everything." Her voice was quiet but the two could hear her clearly.

Chiron nodded again. In the background, the campers began their singing and conversations again though the energy level was much lower than previously. Someone then called for Chiron from the fire so, excusing himself, the centaur then left the two alone.

Makayla sighed. She tried to keep it quiet but Leo heard, turning his attention to the redhead.

"What is it that you don't wanna say?" He asked expectantly. Makayla smiled a little; even after years apart, he could still read her clearly.

"I'm gonna be straight forward this time: I'm leaving." She confessed. Leo frowned but she continued before he could interrupt her. "I know what you're going to say, Leo, but I have to. Everyone in this camp is in a lot of danger as long as I'm here. I did what I was supposed to and warned you about the shadow's return. Now you can tell Chiron and prepare in case of an attack."

"You can't leave," Leo argued stubbornly, clearly trying to fight tears from forming. "Makayla, you leaving will be worse than staying. You'll be totally exposed out there. Camp Half-Blood has special borders that can protect you. You need to stay here."

But Makayla just shook her head.

"You know I can't. I'm a danger no matter where I am and I'll hate myself forever if someone gets killed just because I didn't want to keep running." She paused and wiped a tear that had slipped from Leo's pleading brown eyes. "I'm sorry, I really am. I know that by telling you that it only made you worry but it's for the best. I'm so happy to have seen you again and thank you for listening but I have to go now. "

The purple-and-silver-eyed girl hugged Leo, holding him tightly as he returned the gesture. She placed her hand on her best friend's cheek and gave him a small, sad smile.

"You've always protected me, Leo, ever since I was born. Now it's my turn to protect you. I love you and I'll see you again… someday…" Makayla turned and walked away, leaving Leo alone with tears in his eyes.

The redhead left back to the entrance to Camp Half-Blood and paused, steps away from the barrier. She took a deep breath.

"I won't let you hurt others on my behalf." She muttered into the night air, knowing the Shadow was always listening. "You've waited this long but you'll keep waiting forever."

Right as she stepped past the barrier and into the world beyond protection, a hand wrapped around her and pulled her back into Camp Half-Blood. She caught herself before she fell and sighed, not needing to turn around to know who grabbed her.

"Let me go. I'm leaving one way or another." She rolled her swirling eyes.

"One way or another I'll stop you," Leo responded stubbornly. "You can't go. This is the safest place in the world for you and I'm not gonna let you leave just because you're afraid that someone will get hurt. This is a camp for half-bloods; we know how to protect ourselves."

Makayla held back a groan, getting ready for a long and tiring argument. She knew that he was almost more stubborn than she was and sighed, not in the mood to argue anymore.

"Leo, I could run right now and we both know that you wouldn't catch me." She reminded him, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. Leo shrugged, crossing his arms.

"I know. I'm expecting you to, to be honest, and usually I'd let you go. But not this time. I won't let you leave me, Kayla, not again. If you go when I could have stopped you then I swear I will never ever forgive myself." Leo's tone was completely serious and Makayla sighed. Then a small smile tugged at her lips.

"You haven't called me Kayla in a long time." She told him, voice quiet. Leo paused for a moment then also gave a half-smile.

"Yeah, I guess. But as kids, you always hated the nickname." He remembered. Makayla fiddled with her long red hair.

"We were kids then. Now it's- I like the name. It... it reminds me of... of home." She confessed with a small blush.

Leo tried for a smile. Not quite able to manage one, he hugged her again instead. From the one gesture, Makayla was able to feel the pain and worry he felt. Heart aching, she decided that she would stay one day to change his mind.

"Fine. You win, Leo." She relented.

Leo looked surprised as he pulled back from the hug.

"Wait really?" He asked, eyes wide in disbelief. Makayla nodded and he let out a laugh. His voice was filled with relief as he grabbed her waist and spun her around. "Oh thank the gods! I win! Thank you, Kayla! Thank you thank you thank you!"

The redhead laughed and he set her back down. She shook her head and shoved his shoulder playfully, knocking him over.

Not wanting to go down alone, he grabbed her as he fell and she tumbled but Makayla's reflexes were quicker and stronger than his; she put her hand behind her head and slid into a smooth back-walkover, straightening to stand casually on her feet while Leo fell to his back with a *thump* and *oof*

Makayla giggled and he stuck his tongue out in response.

"Leeeooo?"

"Repair Boy? Where'd you go?"

"That you over there, Leo?"

Leo stood from the ground as he heard his friends calling for him. He wiped the dirt off him before starting toward the voices, gesturing for Makayla to follow. When they reached the small group of searching demigods Leo saw his friends: Piper, Jason, Percy, and Annabeth. He was surprised all four of them had come to find him but placed a smile onto his face none-the-less.

 _"Hola_ _mi_ _amigos."_ He greeted as he neared. Leo saw them all looking at Makayla with narrowed eyes and suspicious frowns. "What's up? You all look like a bunch of grumpy grinches."

 _(Hello my friends)_

"Very funny," Jason replied sarcastically with an eye roll. "And yes, we are grumpy."

"Why?" Leo frowned, cocking his head to the side.

"We haven't seen you at all today, Leo!" Percy told him as though it were obvious. "You got all quiet this morning and kept muttering to yourself all worried."

"And when we tried to talk to you, you trapped yourself in the bunker." Piper continued, equally upset. " Then you ran off into the woods and didn't come back for about almost an hour-"

"Actually! I did not run off, I was dragged away against my will." Leo corrected. His friends ignored the correction and Piper continued.

"Then you literally tumbled to the campfire, with someone who punched you earlier, and the two of you started arguing but now it's like nothing happened!"

Leo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly but Makayla frowned, still on defense.

"You know who you should blame for that and it's not Leo," She told the four, soprano voice low but loud enough to hear.

"Who are you anyway? How do you know Leo?" Annabeth asked the redhead suspiciously. Makayla hesitated.

Knowing only Leo, she still wasn't sure if she should trust these people. But it seemed like Leo was really good friends with these four and at the same time... it's not like the world would explode if she told them how she knew Leo.

She looked at said boy with a silent question in her eyes. Leo thought for a moment before shrugging. He took a breath and introduced her.

"Guys, I want you to meet Makayla ...She's my sister."

* * *

 **And that concludes the fourth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue the story. Feel free to leave a review. Criticism, complaints,** **advice** **, or compliments** **are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **So this chapter's gonna be pretty dam short as I cut one in half, partially because I'm** _ **really**_ ** _f**king bored_ right now and partially because I like dramatic endings XD**

 **This chapter and the next ones are just fillers. They're going to explain a lot of important stuff so there won't be a lot of action, mostly just talking.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

There was silence between Piper, Jason, Percy, and Annabeth as the four shared looks of confusion.

"Your sister... as in the same godly parent?" Piper finally asked. But Leo shook his head.

"Sister as in the same _mother."_ He clarified. The confused looks were replaced with those of shock as eyes flicked back and forth between Makayla and Leo.

"But... you don't look anything alike. Like, at all. Not in the slightest." Percy pointed out.

"That's why people never believe us when we tell them." Leo shrugged. "But I promise you guys I'm being totally, one-hundred percent honest."

"What about you? Is Leo telling the truth?" Jason questioned Makayla, blue eyes narrowed slightly. The redhead nodded.

"Yes. Esperanza Valdez was Leo's mother as well as mine." Makayla told the son of Jupiter, trying to think of things he might have told them that'd prove their relation. "We both were born in Huston, Texas. Leo was born July 7th and myself on April 19th two years later. Tia Callida watched us as our babysitter while our mother worked as a mechanic in a nearby machine shop. After the accident that stole our mother's life, Leo and I were sent to our remaining family who shunned us and sent us to foster care. It wasn't long after arriving that Leo ran away. I- I don't know where my brother went or what happened to him after that."

She could see the four were starting to get convinced but weren't completely convinced yet.

"Let's say we do believe you." Annabeth started, grey eyes locked with Makayla's purple. Leo began to protest but she held up her hand to stop him. "Why do you think Leo's never said anything about you before?"

"I don't know. I guess he had either forgotten or was too busy with other things to think about the girl he hadn't seen in seven years." Makayla shrugged. Annabeth nodded slowly.

"How'd you get into Camp Half-Blood?"

The pale redhead paused. Her relation to Leo wasn't something she needed to keep secret but she knew for absolute certainty that she couldn't say anything about her parentage.

"I let myself in." She admitted, telling the majority of the truth.

"What do you mean?"

"When I reached the barrier I was stopped but I forced myself through."

"That's impossible," Percy argued, shaking his head. "Only a half-blood can enter the camp. Mortals are turned away and can't even find the place. The only way you can get in, even forcing through the barrier, is if you have godly blood."

Makayla felt herself pale slightly; she couldn't think of an excuse for that.

She opened her mouth to attempt an excuse but froze when a shiver ran down her back. She gasped and her eyes widened. Her hand slowly moved to her back and she gave a muffled shout of pain when she touched one of her marks.

Makayla? Are you okay, _mi hermana?_ " Leo worried, turning to his little sister. Makayla slowly shook her head.

 _(my sister)_

"It's here..." She muttered, eyes turning light silver in color.

Leo looked confused for a moment then his brown eyes widened. He quickly looked to her chest in search of her talisman-necklace and his heart dropped when he saw nothing.

"What are you talking about? What's here?" Piper frowned.

"Where is it?!" Leo hurriedly asked his sister, ignoring his friend. Makayla shook her head as her hands fumbled at her neck and chest.

"I-I don't- I don't know! I just had it! It- but it's gone!" She stuttered in panic, both their eyes scanning around them. She never took off her necklace, she even removed the clasp so it couldn't come undone, so where did it go?

Fear filled her heart and caused her to freeze in place as an all-too-familiar feeling swept over her. Then legs gave out beneath her. Leo's eyes widened and he immediately caught her, dropping to one knee.

"Are you alright?"

What's going on?"

"What happened?"

"Is she okay?"

Leo shook his head as he ignored his friends' questions, moving his sister onto her back as she rested against his leg.

"Makayla? Makayla, please answer me! Please, just say something, anything! Please, I need you here with me so you gotta fight it, don't let it happen! Makayla please, I can't lose you, not you too." Leo took a deep breath, trying to calm down as he felt himself begin to panic.

A white haze had started to glaze over the redhead's silver and purple eyes, unresponsive to his touch and words.

Looking up, Leo scanned the small crowd that had begun to form as campers came to see what was going on. He caught sight of Will Solace and quickly called him over.

"Leo? What's going on?" Will wondered as he walked over.

"We need help," Leo told him urgently. He felt fear grip his chest as his sister's body began to shake slightly.

"Of course. What's happening, how do I help?" Will, crouching beside his friend.

"She's being attacked. I- I need you to try and stop it somehow."

"Physical attack or mental?" The healer questioned as he didn't see anything physical happening. Leo wanted to answer Will then he remembered that he had promised his sister he wouldn't say anything.

But... Will could help…

Leo nodded his head back and forth sideways.

"It's kinda both." He gave in. Will frowned.

"What do you mean? How?"

"There's a monster that attacks her mind and at the same time, it hurts her body. Is there a way you can stop it?"

The son of Apollo shook his head to Leo's question.

"Not unless we know exactly what it is causing the mental aspect. I mean, I can try to stop it from hurting her body but if we-"

Will was cut off as a scream rang through the air, chilling the bones of every person in Camp Half-Blood.

Ω Ω Ω

Makayla could hear voices but they were nothing but muffled mumbles.

She was sobbing, struggling and crying as the Shadow attacked her and tore at her skin. She could hear him in her head; that horrendous excuse of a human was laughing at her pain. The shadow acted at his command, she knew. He was doing this to her.

She screamed again as the red-hot claws tore deeply into her back; it had never hurt this bad before!

 _"What- do you- you want?"_ She thought, unable to form actual words with her voice.

 _"I thought you were stronger than this, you know. It's a disappointment to see you defeated by a faceless black bob."_ She could hear his voice in her mind as her body writhed and bled.

 _"Why don't you try? You enjoy pain, after all."_ Makayla mentally retorted. She could almost see him smirking.

 _"I am enjoying this; causing you this type of pain. I think it's quite fitting after all that annoyance you caused me. Never in my entire life have I been so irritated by one single human."_ His voice was no longer teasing, now irritated and annoyed.

 _"If you only had a heart, I'd cry for you. But I'll live through your threats and attacks just like I always have."_ Makayla faintly felt someone lifting her up, still unable to move her body.

The Shadow Creature dug deeper into her back and she screamed again.

 _"Next time I attack, and there will be a next time, I will not be as merciful. I promise you that. Until then... I'll be watching you, Beautiful."_

Then Makayla lost her grip on the world and everything went black.

* * *

 **And that concludes the fifth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue the story. Feel free to leave a review. Criticism, complaints, compliments, or advice are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Explanation time! We finally get to find out about Makayla in this one. Her secret is revealed!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Leo grabbed Makayla in his arms as she finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

As fast as he could, he pushed through the horde of campers that had gathered and called over his shoulder for Will to follow. He practically ran to the infirmary and laid Makayla on the nearest bed once there, knowing not to touch her back as that would hurt her.

Will rushed in a minute after him.

"Leo Valdez, _what_ is going _on?!"_ The healer demanded. Leo ignored the question for now.

"Get something to stop the bleeding and clean the wounds." He instructed, shutting the door and pulling a curtain to make sure no one would interrupt or run in.

Will was confused as he didn't see anything bleeding but did as he was told. Leo could hear Makayla groaning and muttering things that he couldn't make out, her brows furrowed restlessly, as unconsciousness remained in control. The young medic placed what was needed on the small table beside the cot.

Careful to touch only her sides, Leo shifted Makayla's limp body so she sat up and reached down to carefully slide her shirt over her head, leaving her in her under-bra. He laid her gently onto her stomach and Will's eyes widened when he saw her back. He had seen many different wounds but this was new to him.

Four jagged gashes were slashed across her right shoulder-blade, down her back, to her left hip

The marks were deep and ugly, causing the healer to worry that there might be lasting internal damage. Going straight into Doctor-Mode, Will grabbed a damp cloth and tried to wipe away the blood dripping down her back. But once the chemicals touched her wounds, Makayla began screaming again and struggling.

"Leo! Hold her down!" Will exclaimed. "Her struggling will only make it worse!"

Leo quickly put his hands on Makayla's shoulders, trying to hold her down. She struggled but the attack must have drained her because she only fought for a minute before falling limp once more.

Singing quiet healing hymns to himself, Will tasked himself with cleaning the wound until the blood-flow slowed. Never having seen wounds like Makayla's before, he made sure to be insanely careful.

"I've cleaned and checked over the wounds best I can but these are too large to heal on their own. I'll have to stitch them closed." He reported after finding no internal injuries.

Leo's mouth went dry but nodded, moving to help as instructed. The son of Apollo grabbed a surgical needle and began.

Thankfully Makayla was completely unconscious so she didn't even flinch as the needle pierced her skin. He finished stitching closed the gashes on the redhead's back and the son of Apollo carefully wrapped bandages around her torso, holding the stitches in place and staunching the pinpricks of blood that wouldn't clot.

After what felt like forever, Will finally stepped back and surveyed his work. The son of Apollo looked tired and Leo didn't blame him; he had been going for almost two hours.

Leo pulled up a chair and sat beside his little sister, holding her limp hand with his own. His heart ached when he noticed that her face was extremely pale and troubled. Will cleaned up his tools then pulled up a second chair and sat himself in front of Leo, no-nonsense on his face.

"Answer time, Leo. What the _hell_ was that?" He demanded, pointing to Makayla's back. Leo shook his head.

"Sorry Will, but I can't say." He tried. Will narrowed his blue eyes.

"Leo, I've been at Camp Half-Blood for years. I've lived through two wars and seen a lot but that is something I have never seen before. I want to help but unless I know what's going on, I can't. What happened, who is she, and what's her story?"

Leo sighed heavily, turning to Makayla's limp form. They had agreed that no one could know about her but Will was right: the healer couldn't help if he was clueless.

"I'm sorry Kayla." He apologized quietly.

He gently squeezed her hand and silently prayed that his little sister would forgive him for breaking his promise. The son of Hephaestus turned his gaze back to Will Solace and took a deep breath.

"Alright fine. But first, you have to swear you will never ever tell anyone anything about this, no matter what." He began, totally serious. Will frowned but swore anyway. "Okay, you already know all about the whole demigod-birth-business and all that. Well, Makayla... I guess you can say she's a Special Case. Usually, some random god would come down to earth and do the naughty with someone and boom: a kid. But Makayla's different from us. See, Makayla's mom caught the eye of a certain god- I'm getting there," Leo saw the question forming on Will's lips," After her mom gave birth to her first child, a boy, the god came back."

Will nodded slowly.

"Okay, I think I understand so far. What happened next?"

Leo could see the suspicion growing on the blond's face and bit his lip; he was getting to the dangerous part. Naturally, he looked around to make sure there was no one and unconsciously lowered his voice.

"It wasn't even a week later when a _different_ god saw her and it happened all over again. Because both the gods had been with her mom so so close to each other, Makayla was born different with, ah... with the power and blood of two gods instead of just one."

Will's blue eyes were wide and his jaw was slightly dropped but he gestured for the mechanic to keep going.

"Being born of two gods and one mortal Makayla is way more powerful than any demigod ever, even the Big Three kids. It makes her more god than human."

Leo had said it: the secret he, his mother, and Makayla had kept for almost eighteen years. The secret that was Makayla.

The Latino was a bit surprised that he remembered everything so clearly but brushed the thought away; there was no way he would ever forget Makayla. He turned his gaze to his little sister and felt his heart clench at the sight of her pale unconscious form. He gently squeezed her hand again.

"So that's who she is. As for what just happened…" Leo took a breath before continuing. "Before her mother died and her brother left, a really powerful monster found out about Makayla. She didn't know what it was at the time but the creature wanted something she had. The thing is, the monster wasn't able to find a way to get what it wanted without killing her and for some reason he didn't want her dead. So instead, it cursed her. Well, kinda a curse... We call it the Shadow Creature because it looks like a living shadow, just a black outline of a person that isn't there. Anyway, the shadow would attack her and that's what happened: It digs Its claws into her back, causing her huge amounts of pain."

Will's gaze lowered to the unconscious figure on the bed beside him and his heart clenched when his eyes rested on the bandage wrapped around her torso and back. He turned his attention back to Leo as the son of Hephaestus continued.

"It was after... I think the third attack when her two godly fathers finally noticed what was happening." Leo muttered a curse in Spanish. "When they saw what was happening, they created a protective… It's like a charm. They made twelve tiny gems that they put their magic into in the form of a protective necklace-talisman. Every time Makayla was attacked, one of those gems would disappear and create kinda like a forcefield around her that kept her from being hurt too bad. Apparently the stupid monster didn't get the memo that Makayla didn't want it around because it kept attacking. Every time it did though, I guess It got tired because It couldn't do it very often."

Leo looked at the red-haired girl asleep beside him. Then he looked down at where he still held her hand.

"Leo? Are you okay?" His friend asked carefully. Leo slowly shook his head. "How do you know so much about her?"

"I... I guess by now the monster must have gotten too strong because her necklace disappeared today. It must have been attacking a lot the past seven years cuz there were only two gems gone when I left." Leo sighed sadly.

"You're Makayla's brother?" Will clarified, having already guessed. Leo nodded.

"Yeah. Kayla's my little sister." He confessed. Will looked at him strangely.

"If she's your sister then why'd you leave her when she was just a kid?" He saw Leo flinch like he was struck and quickly tried to apologize. "I-I'm sorry Leo, I wasn't-"

"No, you're right." The mechanic cut him off, shaking his head. "After our mother died I ran off. I left Makayla when she was only five years old, a cursed kid by herself in a dangerous world. A demigod none-the-less. I was selfish and stupid… The least I could have done was bring her with me." His gaze dropped in shame. "I've thought about her every day but I never told anyone about her before, not even Jason and Piper and I'd trust them with anything. I guess I just felt too guilty. You're the first person I've ever told her full story to but I guess you did sort of need to know."

Will saw Leo's eyes starting to droop and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Why don't you head back to your cabin and get some sleep?" The son of Apollo suggested. "I'll stay here tonight and keep an eye on Makayla."

Leo nodded with a yawn, too tired to protest.

He gently brushed Makayla's red hair out of her face and kissed her forehead, saying something in Spanish. He stood and turned to leave but once at the door, he turned to Will Solace.

"Thank you, by the way. For helping my sister." He thanked the healer gratefully. Will smiled.

"No problem. It's my job to heal people and I told you: I wanna help. But you need sleep, Leo. And don't worry about your guys' secret. I promise it's safe with me."

Leo nodded and thanked him once more before leaving to his cabin for the remaining night, thoughts of his little sister running through his head.

In the infirmary, Will looked at the silent figure lying beside him. How could anyone go through life with that kind of danger on their shoulders, knowing that at any minute they could be attacked and possibly killed by some unknown monster?

He shook his head sadly and returned to sorting through the medicine cabinet. The blond made sure to keep an eye on Leo's sister, glad that he had slept in really late that morning. He noticed Makayla's pale skin was prickled with goosebumps so he grabbed a blanket from one of the shelves, gently draping the soft cloth atop her silent form.

"I'm so sorry for everything..." Will apologized quietly.

Makayla didn't respond.

* * *

Leo slept soundly yet his dreams were restless.

His dreams were ones he never wanted to have: in his sleep, he saw parts of Makayla's life from while he was gone. It frightened him when he saw her on the streets, leaving her foster homes like he had, running from monsters, all the different times Makayla was attacked, even being kidnaped several times...

He woke with beads of sweat on his forehead and shaking hands. It took him several full minutes to calm down and several more to convince himself to get out of bed. When he did, he changed from his nightclothes, smiling as he strapped his magic tool belt around his waist.

Gods, he loved his tool belt.

He then led the Hephaestus cabin to breakfast and even though he got quite a few questions about the night before, he didn't answer so people eventually stopped asking. He chatted with his siblings and joked with Harley, hoping to forget his dreams from the night before.

Trying to forget his worry, he even challenged his half-brother Shane to see who could drink the most Sprite Soda as the cups would magically refill themselves. The two half-siblings got about a third of the pavilion on their feet, chanting and cheering as the two boys tried to chug the extremely carbonated drink. Coughing uncontrollably, Shane ended up giving up after the sixth cup and let the fire-user win.

After breakfast, Leo headed to the infirmary, trying to look casual when in reality his heart was thumping in his chest. As he entered, his gaze immediately traveled to the unconscious redhead laying on one of the beds. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw beads of sweat on her forehead. He placed one of his hands on her forehead then pulled it back immediately. Her skin was burning hot!

Being a fire user, Leo didn't get burned but he was shocked. His head looked up when he heard footsteps and saw another one of the camp's healers, Austin Lake, walking in with a clipboard in one hand.

"Austin!" He called

Austin noticed Leo and walked over.

"Hey Leo. What's up?" He greeted with a bright smile.

"She's burning up," Leo informed, gesturing to his sister.

Austin frowned. He placed his hand on the trouble-faced girl's forehead. He had his hand on her skin for only a second before snapping his hand back

"AH! Gods! We definitely need to get her temperature lower." He agreed, shaking his hand, which was red.

Austin pulled a rag out from one of the cabinets then filled a bowl with cold water. As Leo watched, he grabbed hold on Makayla's hand again; even her hands were burning. He knew that she wouldn't be burned by the heat but he still worried.

Austin set the bowl on a side table and placed the rag into the cold water.

"Will's out teaching an archery class right now," He explained as he handed the two to Leo. "He said he wanted to get some training in but he said he'll come in later."

Leo nodded as he grabbed the rag and rug out the extra water, placing it on his sister's forehead. He had to re-cool the rag every minute but her skin slowly started to drop in temperature. She was muttering quietly in her sleep with a troubled expression.

The door then opened and Connor Stoll and his half-brother Cecil came into the infirmary, Cecil's hand clearly broken. Austin changed his attention from Leo to the new patient while the mechanic returned his own attention to the redhead.

Eventually, her skin lowered to a bearable temperature so he placed the rag into the water and left it there. He held Makayla's hand in both his and breathed deeply, muttering quietly in Spanish. He faintly heard Connor explaining something about a fight breaking out after an experiment went wrong but he wasn't paying much attention. Makayla had been asleep all night and day now. It didn't worry him as much as it would others but he still wished she would wake and talk to him.

 _"Sé que estás ahí,"_ Leo whispered, hoping beyond hope that she'd hear him. _"Solo abre los ojos y muéstrame que estás bien. Vamos Kayla ... Lo tienes en ti, lo sé."_

 _(I know you're in there. Just open your eyes; show me you're alright. C'mon Kayla... You got it in you, I know it._ )

He waited and waited but the only movement Makayola showed was the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He sighed, his heart dropping slightly. He knew he shouldn't worry so much but he still did; it was a big brother's job to worry, after all.

Leo didn't know how long he sat beside Makayla, whether it was minutes or hours he wasn't sure.

At some point Piper and Jason stopped by to see if he was alright, having come back from a movie date in Manhattan. They sat with the two Valdez siblings for a bit, telling the older of the two about the movie.

Leo replied and had a good conversation with best friends but not once did his brown eyes leave his sister. When they asked if he wanted anything, he replied with a negative and the two left.

His legs were bouncing up and down as hands fiddled with random pieces from his tool belt. He kept making and unmaking small robots, his worry causing the miniature automatons to go crazy when assembled. Leo sighed as Makayla would occasionally mutter something quietly or twitch her pale fingers.

When Will Solace checked her over, he startled Leo as Leo hadn't realized until then that he and Austin had switched a half-hour prior.

The young medic unwrapped the bandages from around her torso and made sure none of the stitches had ripped. The bleeding had finally stopped so Will got clean bandages, swapping them out and wrapping them around her just a bit tighter. He assured Leo she'd be fine then went back to helping the other campers.

Leo watched over his sister for a few more minutes then sighed when he felt his stomach growl. He decided to grab something to munch on.

"I'll be right back, Kayla." He told her quietly. He stood and kissed her hand and turned to leave.

"Leo? Is.. is that... you?"

Leo froze. It was heartbreakingly weak but he'd recognize the beautiful soprano anywhere. He spun around and a pair of purple-and-silver eyes met his brown.

"Makayla! Thank gods!" He exclaimed in sweet relief. He was immediately back by her side, kissing her forehead, holding her tight (though not enough to hurt her). "Gods, you can't do that to me, Kayla! I was so worried that you'd be hurt for good or you wouldn't remember anyone or you'd not wake up-"

"I'm fine Leo, calm down." Makayla interrupted with a weak smile on her face. She gasped in pain as she moved but returned his hug. "I'm sorry I made you worry."

Leo immediately shook his head.

"Don't even start. It is not your fault so don't you dare blame yourself just because a stupid shadow doesn't know when to quit your fan club. I'm just so glad you're okay." He joked, holding her hand in his. Makayla chuckled lightly.

" _Mostly_ okay. My back hurts like hell though: it feels like I got sat on by a really bony sumo wrestler." She muttered. Leo laughed at the metaphor.

"I can understand that. This healer named Will had to do a bunch of stitches on your back to keep the gashes closed so just try to not move around too much." Makayla nodded, her grin fading. Leo noticed. "Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah, my back just hurts and my throat is really dry. Could you get me some water?" His sister asked.

Leo nodded and grabbed the water bottle he had been using throughout the day. The redhead drank slowly but drained the bottle.

"Hey there. Glad to see you awake." Will greeted as he walked over, slipping off a pair of latex gloves and tossing them in a trashcan. He pulled up a chair beside Makayla and sat. "How are you feeling on a one-to-ten scale?"

"Wherever the word s**t is placed." Makayla joked weakly, bringing a grin from the medic.

"I'll put it at eight. Think you could sit up?"

She nodded and the two boys helped her slowly. It was clear that Makayla was in pain but she wasn't screaming or crying, so that was good.

"Um... I'm not wearing a shirt." She noticed as she felt their hands on her bare shoulders. A thick bandage wrap covered her torso front and back so, in a way, it acted like a strapless shirt.

"We had to take it off in order to patch you up. If you want I can get you a camp one?" Will offered. Makayla considered the question but shook her head.

"Nah. It'd probably hurt to put it on."

"Understandable."

Makayla nodded then turned to her brother.

"I have a distinct feeling that you've been here all day so why don't you go play with your friends." She told him. Leo opened his mouth to protest but stopped when Makayla gave him her "look". So he sighed in defeat and reluctantly agreed.

Kissing his little sister's forehead, Leo left with a bow.

* * *

 **And that concludes the sixth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or complements are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Okay, yes I realize that I** **posted like 10 minutes ago but I already have several reviews asking for another update so** **I'm just gonna keep posting until I think I've done enough. On the bright side, it'll make you guys happy! :D**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Leo was surprised to walk outside and see it looking around five o'clock.

He hadn't realized how long he had been sitting with Makayla. Taking a breath, he decided to use the rest the day best he could. He found Percy by the canoe lake and hung with him for a few minutes before his friend asked if he wanted to spar.

"Sorry Aquaman, you should know by now that I don't do swords." Leo denied. Percy pouted.

"C'mon, just try once? You'll have fun, trust me. Pleeease?" He begged, sea-green eyes big. Leo replied the same but the son of Poseidon kept begging and begging until his friend finally relented.

"Fine! But only to get you to shut up."

The grin that came to Percy's face made Leo want to take his answer back.

Percy walked Leo over to the armory to pick a sword then the two went to the arena. Leo's eyes widened when his friend brought out Riptide.

"Bro, that thing's gonna chop me to pieces!" Leo exclaimed.

"Nah. At most, I'll give you a scratch or two but no severed limbs." The dark-haired demigod assured with a laugh. The two boys put on leather armor and stood in a ready stance. Percy had to correct Leo a dozen times about his stance, grip, height, and so forth. Finally, he let the mechanic be. "Ready?" Leo shook his head. "Too bad. Three... two... one… go!"

Percy swung a downward slash, being careful not to go too fast and hurt his friend. Leo yelped and blocked. Percy tried a stab and Leo swung down, their swords clashing together.

"Nice. Try moving to the side next time I stab," The son of Poseidon instructed. He went for another stab and Leo moved to his right. Unfortunately, he was a second too slow and Riptide grazed the side of his armor. "You gotta move faster."

Leo decided he would try offense. He swung the sword to the side but his friend gracefully and easily deflected it. He pushed his sword off and tapped Leo's side.

"Dead." Percy announced. Leo frowned and tried an overhead. Percy spun to the right and tapped his back. "Dead." Leo could see his friend holding back a grin as he tapped his leg. "Dead." He gritted his teeth and kept swinging at him but he easily blocked every move. Percy stabbed at his stomach, causing him to stumble back. "Dead."

"Will you quit saying that!?" Leo growled.

 _"Really_ dead." Percy laughed in reply, Riptide at his neck.

Leo groaned and stopped, his breathing fast and sweaty, and grumbled when he noticed Percy hadn't even broken a sweat. The mechanic huffed.

"Bruh, I told you I'm no good with swords."

"Aw, c'mon. You're not too terrible. I mean, I've seen worse." Percy tried to encourage.

"Nah, I gotta agree with Leo: that was pretty horrible."

The two boys turned when they heard a new voice laughing.

"You're supposed to be resting, what are you doing here?" Leo reminded his sister, confused and worried. The redhead gave a small shrug.

"Surprised? I'm supposed to be but Will said I could hang with you for a while." She answered. Leo raised his eyebrow at her response. "Okay fine, I bribed him a bit."

"Figured. Do you remember Percy?"

"I think so." She answered, shaking Percy's hand as Leo officially introduced his friend.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" The son of Poseidon greeted, gesturing to the large bandage wrapped around her torso. His eyes were flicking back and forth between the redhead and the Latino, remembering what Leo had told him and trying to find a resemblance between the siblings.

"I've had better days." Makayla shrugged in response. "But I've been watching you two for the past few minutes."

"Any thoughts?"

"Two actually. One: Percy, you've got some pretty sweet skills. And two: Leo... _Eres muy malo y solo chupa."_

 _(You're really bad and just suck)_

"That's what I said!" Leo exclaimed, earning a laugh from the redhead (who translated for Percy).

"You were starting to look better." Percy grinned, not fooling either of the siblings. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Well, I'm done with this."

Makayla smiled and Percy chuckled, both following their friend back to put their armor and Leo's sword away. After, the three separated; Percy left to look for his girlfriend while Leo led his sister to nowhere in particular.

"Where are we going?" Makayla wondered as they walked.

"Nowhere in particular," Leo answered casually. His sister gave him a suspicious glance but said nothing. It took only a minute for him to break, just as she knew he would. "Okay, I really want you to meet someone."

"Who?"

"His name is Festus."

Makayla raised a brow in question

"Who has the name Festus?"

"Excuse me, I just so happened to have named him!" Leo announced, faking offense.

"You named someone Festus? Is it a nickname?" Makayla wondered.

"Nope. It's his actual name." Leo grinned as they reached a large clearing and pulled a whistle out of his tool belt. He blew long and hard, causing Makayla to cover her ears.

"Wow. Amazing." She applauded sarcastically.

A moment later, she started in shock when a loud roar filled the air. She spun around and her jaw dropped as a giant metal dragon flew in and landed on the ground with a loud *thud*. She stared in amazement when the dragon made robotic whirring and clicking sounds, turning his ruby eyes to the redhead.

"Kayla, meet Festus the Bronze Dragon!" Leo introduced energetically.

"It's beautiful...!" Makayla breathed, eyes wide.

"Yeah, he's pretty awesome." Leo agreed with a laugh. "He helped us on our quests a bunch of times. He is the most bad**s dragon _ever!"_

Festus creaked and clicked several times and Makayla's brows furrowed; it almost sounded like... like he was talking but in a way that a robot or machine would speak to another.

"You're talking," She muttered, looking into Festus' glowing red eyes. The dragon bowed his head. He made the sound again and, focusing hard, Makayla could almost understand him.

 _You hear me? How?_

"I don't know. I just... do." She replied, still in awe of the automation.

"Wait, you can understand what he says?" Leo asked, surprised. His sister nodded. "Huh, I thought I was the only one. Pretty cool huh?"

"Incredible." Makayla agreed. She reached a hand towards the dragon. Festus lowered his head and her hand came in contact with the metal. She could feel the gears and power flowing through the dragon and she laughed in amazement. "I can feel him working: the gears and belts and wires… It- It's amazing!"

"You wanna go for a ride?" A sly smile slid across Leo's face and Makayla turned to her brother, confused.

"Huh?"

"He's a giant flying dragon. And giant flying dragons can be flown on." He winked.

"Seriously?! Yes!"

Makayla felt the excitement rise in her chest as Leo helped his sister up onto Festus' back, moving slowly as her back was still hurt. Once up Leo joined, sitting behind her.

"Alright buddy! Lets rock and roll!" Leo announced. Festus clicked and the dragon launched himself into the air.

Makayla yelped at the sudden action, hands grabbing at her brother's. Festus beat his giant wings as the three leaped into the air. He climbed higher and higher until they were high enough in the air to see the entirety of Camp half-Blood.

Makayla's jaw dropped at the sight.

"Oh my gods! Leo, this is _amazing!"_ She exclaimed. Leo smiled as the three flew around the camp from above, gliding slow.

"Yeah the two of us like to come up here to chill sometimes. It's pretty cool." He agreed nonchalantly.

Makayla saw a couple of campers below wave up at them as they flew by. The sky was darkening as it became later in the day and the setting sun cast beautiful colors into the clouds as it sunk; pink, orange, yellow, and red glowing softly. The two siblings flew over the forest, the canoe lake, the strawberry fields… Makayla was in awe the whole time. But her favorite view was when Festus took them over Long Island Sound. The water reflected the light of the sunset and took her breath away with its natural beauty. She leaned back against her brother, smiling softly

"Thank you, Leo." She thanked him quietly. "You're the best big brother ever."

Leo felt a wave of brotherly-pride wash through him when he saw the peaceful smile on his little sister's face. The two siblings flew through the air until the sky began to grow dark. At the sight of the first star, Leo decided to set down to help Makayla find a place to sleep. When he asked if she had a place, she told him Will Solace had suggested the Hermes Cabin so Leo gave Festus a bottle of motor oil from his tool belt before the dragon took off towards Bunker 9.

The siblings walked towards the cabins, talking quietly and casually along the way. Makayla walked slowly because of her back but didn't seem to be wincing in pain anymore. Once at the cabins, Leo hugged his sister goodnight and left to his own.

Makayla watched him for a moment before going to find a bunk to sleep the night away.

The next morning, Makayla was awoken by screaming.

It thankfully wasn't a _"help me I'm being ripped apart by a monster"_ kind of scream but more of a scream that one would give when really annoyed. Knowing that there was no immediate threat Makayla rolled over in her bunk, wincing as her back twisted, and closed her eyes to try to get a few more hours of sleep.

"Quick! The Red Flame has awoken!" Someone shouted.

The redhead was complaining to herself about how loud the Hermes cabin was when suddenly, she was suddenly flooded with ice-water.

Makayla lurched up in the bunk, spluttering and gasping from the cold liquid that had been dumped onto her.

She heard laughing and spun around only to see just about every camper in Cabin 11 bent over laughing. Her back felt immense pain from the sudden movement of sitting up and guessed she had torn several stitches.

"No need to worry anymore! The fire is out!" Cecil Markowitz laughed. He held a large, empty bucket in his hands.

"What the f**k?!" Makayla exclaimed. Her purple eyes were dark as she glared.

"Welcome to Cabin Eleven!"

The redhead clenched her fists, water dripping onto her shoulders.

"Thank you, for that amusing welcome." She growled sarcastically, her voice dripping with as much sarcasm as her clothes were dripping water.

Makayla plucked an ice cube from her hair and threw it at Cecil, who laughed. She caught a towel that was tossed at her and left the cabin, not wanting to risk getting splashed or otherwise pranked.

The dripping redhead sat on the front step of Cabin 11, toweling herself dry. She knew there was a faster way to dry herself but she refused to do so. Besides, a towel was made for drying things off.

She looked up at the sun's position and guessed it was around ten o'clock. After drying off as much as she could, she stood and went to look for a certain blond-haired healer.

She decided to go to his cabin to see if he was there. Her face was contorted in pain the whole time she walked, her back aching horribly. As she hoped, Makayla arrived at Cabin 7 to find Will Solace straightening his bunk as he sang to himself. She wasn't surprised to hear he had a great vocal range.

"Hey Will." She greeted. Will returned the greeting without looking up. "Think you could help out with something?"

Makayla explained her unpleasant wake-up alarm and asked if he could check her stitches.

"Of course. I'd hate for your wounds to reopen because of some stupid prank." The blond agreed, a small frown on his face.

"Thank you Will. You're awesome." Makayla thanked gratefully as she obediently sat on a nearby cot as instructed. Will chuckled, unwrapping the large bandage from her torso.

"Nah. I mean, I won't argue if that's what you think but thanks." Will moved to one knee as he inspected Makayla's back. She felt his hand ghost over her skin.

"What do you think?" She eventually asked. Will straightened with a small groan.

"I think my knees are beginning to think they're sixty instead of sixteen. If you mean your back though, do see a couple torn stitched along the side right here but that's easy. If you want I can fix 'em up right now?" The young medic reported.

"If you're willing, sure." Makayla agreed. The son of Apollo grabbed some things from a table along one of the cabin walls and pulled up another stool.

"This is gonna hurt since you're actually conscious this time so just try not to move too much, okay?" He reminded. Makayla nodded, taking a deep breath. There was a tug of pain as Will removed the few stitches that had torn. "Ready?"

She pressed her lips together as Will's needle pierced her skin. Thankfully she had only snapped about six so it was a quick fix, over in just a couple of minutes. It was painful but it wasn't the worst she had endured.

"Aaand... done," Will announced, knotting the last one.

"Thank you, Will." Makayla again thanked, lifting her arms as her bandage was replaced around her.

"No problem. It's my job to help people and replacing a few stitches is pretty easy. Just continue to take it easy and let me know if it happens again, okay?" He instructed.

Makayla nodded in agreement and left with a small wave.

Once outside, she decided to find a place to think as she wasn't hungry or in the mood to eat. So she let her feet guide her and found herself in the strawberry fields.

She found a small place to sit and leaned back, letting her mind wander.

* * *

 **And that concludes the seventh chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or complements are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I rather like this chapter but it's another one filled with a lot of talking. It's not my favorite (though that one is coming up) but I like it because one of my favorite people is coming in. He is, in fact, an OC. I have quite a couple of OCs so please tell me if I should cut it back a bit later on. I do make sure to keep our PJO characters in too though so we're good on that.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

About 75% of the time, Makayla's thoughts were sporadic and unfocused so letting her mind go where it wanted wasn't something she allowed a lot.

Her mind drifted through a few random thoughts as she sat among the strawberries: the temperature, fruit, cloud shapes... Then her thoughts finally focused on one subject: family.

Leo. Leo was the only member of her family she had left. Yes, she had her Aunt Rosa and her cousins and her fathers but they rejected her and Leo when they were in need. Her fathers never once talked to or claimed her or even told her who they were so she disowned them all as family. But Leo had always been there for her. Even after he left, she still knew that he loved her. Sometimes she even had dreams about him, mostly memories of their times together, but twice she had seen him fighting monsters on a gigantic flying warship. She loved her brother and she knew he loved her as well; they were best friends, family.

Makayla's mind shifted to other people she considered family. Her mind thought back to her home in and Leo used to live in a small area but only a minute or two away lived their friend Ashlyn. She was sassy, funny, witty, and their best friend since almost birth. Makayla felt guilt creep into her heart; they had grown up together and she had left without so much as a goodbye.

There was Adam as well. She had met him, his mom, his sister, and his dad while staying with one of her foster families. The two of them had gotten very close over several months and Makayla sighed as she realized how much she missed him.

There were a few others she had met too; Anna and Nathan, Alicia, Liam and Mike… Makayla hadn't been with any of them long, a couple of weeks at most, but they each had a place in her heart. There were so many people in life who had been nice and cared for her... She thought to herself that maybe when she got everything in life sorted out, she might go back to them.

Makayla was pulled from her thoughts when someone tripped over her outstretched legs and was sent crashing into a strawberry bush.

"Oh my-! I-I'm so sorry, are you alright?!" Makayla exclaimed, kneeling beside the fallen person. "I'm so sorry!"

"I'm fine, it's just pain." They mumbled, face in the dirt.

"Are you okay? I didn't even hear you coming, I'm sorry." She stammered as she helped him to his feet. He had an extremely nice-looking reflex bow around his back with a quiver of arrows strapped on his shoulder. On his left forearm was an archery arm-guard.

"Nah I'm fine. Don't worry, it's all good." He brushed her apology away, shaking the dirt from his face and clothes.

Makayla couldn't help but frown when she noticed that the boy looked vaguely familiar...

The boy could only be described as breathtaking: tall and fit with blond hair styled in a Quiff and a chiseled jawline. His lightly tanned skin looked smooth and flawless. If he were to stand, Makayla guessed he'd be about two and a half inches taller than her. He was wearing a pair of sneakers, cargo shorts, and the usual Camp Half-Blood shirt with the sleeves cut off, leaving his fit legs and nicely muscled arms in open view. His seemingly inviting lips were curved in a mischievous grin and his eyes…

Gods of Olympus, his eyes were _beautiful_. Vivid ocean-blue, his eyes were deep siren's pool; they begged her to get lost in them as they trapped her gaze and she mentally cursed when she felt her heart thump.

"I don't think I've seen you around. You a new camper?" The blond asked, breaking Makayla from her trance.

"Uh, yeah... I'm new here." The redhead agreed slowly. She realized she was staring and blinked several times. The boy nodded.

"Ah. I mean, I kinda guessed cuz I'm pretty sure I would have noticed such a beautiful girl around here."

The compliment slid smoothly past his lips and Makayla raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms in growing amusement.

"That always how you introduce yourself?" She wondered sarcastically. The boy shrugged, shaking the dirt out of his blonde hair.

"Only to the pretty ones. I'm Jakob." He introduced with a blinding smile.

Makayla paused for a small moment, debating whether or not to use her alias or real name. Then she remembered that Will Solace had said he was keeping her at Camp Half-Blood for at least a week. She might as well be honest.

"I'm Makayla." She settled.

Jakob smiled and slipped his bow from his back, claiming her previous seat and placing the reflex on his crossed legs. He gestured to her to sit as well. The redhead did after a moment's pause, worried as her automatic mental defenses seemed to be starting to weaken.

"That's a nice name. I like it." He told her.

"Thanks. I got it for my birthday."

Jakob laughed and Makayla cursed herself when she felt her heart thump. Judging from the bow and smile she guessed him to be one of Apollo's sons and he confirmed her suspicion.

"I did too. Do you know what that could mean? Maybe we're secret twins." He winked.

"Yeah, no. I don't think so." Makayla then suddenly remembered why he looked familiar.

"You're the boy with the bow." She realized. Jakob raised an eyebrow.

"I have a bow, yes." He agreed, gesturing to the weapon resting on his legs.

"No- well yeah, but I meant when I first came here to camp." The redhead clarified. "You're the one who killed the monsters chasing me." Jakob nodded.

"Yep. And you're the girl who passed out on me, causing me to have to carry you to a healer then caused a ruckus the other day and just now decided to lay on the ground to trip me." He replied, raising an angled eyebrow. Makayla blushed.

"I said I was sorry. But still. Thank you for helping me."

Jakob shrugged the thanks away.

"Nah it's fine. I was already close by and when I saw you cross the barrier chased by a dozen monsters, I knew I had to help." The two sat in silence for an awkward few seconds. "So you got any hobbies?"

"Sorry, what?" Makayla was caught off guard by the sudden question.

"Hobbies?" Jakob repeated.

"Um... not really. I haven't had a lot of time to do stuff for me lately." She explained vaguely.

"How about interests?"

"I... guess I like building stuff and playing with electronics. And I guess sports are pretty fun."

"Really? What kinda sports?" Jakob's interest seemed to have peaked at the mention.

"Um... I used to do track and soccer when I was little. Sometimes I played lacrosse. Anything that involves running really." Makayla shrugged, not going into detail of how she was faster than most people.

"A runner huh?" Jakob's deep blue eyes help a spark of amusement. "So if I were to challenge you to a race right now...?"

"You'd have quite a few people mad at you." The redhead finished. He frowned.

"Wait, how come?"

"One, I'd tear my stitches if I ran. Two, that would hurt like _hell_. And three, I'd have to get them fixed and that'd be the third time."

"You have stitches? Where?"

Makayla raised an eyebrow and turned slightly, gesturing with her head to her back. Jakob nodded with an 'Ah'.

"What about you? Do you have any interests or hobbies?" She then asked.

His grin told her it'd be a long conversation and she braced herself.

Makayla and Jakob's conversation was not nearly as bad as she had thought it would be. The two spoke of just about anything that could be discussed; they had a surprising amount in common. A lot of the conversation was Jakob talking as Makayla told very little about herself, where she was from, her parentage, and so forth. But the two teenagers enjoyed each other's company. Occasionally one would pick a nearby strawberry and toss it at the other. They talked and laughed, unconsciously blushing whenever they bumped shoulders or their hands brushed.

Two hours later, Makayla heard her brother calling for her.

"I gotta go now; my brother's calling." She sighed.

"Yeah, totally." Jakob brushed off her apology. He stood and slung his bow around his back once more and helped her to her feet. Makayla nodded her thanks and turned to walk off but Jakob jumped to walking beside her, stepping in sync. Makayla noticed and grinned.

"What, are we twins now or something?" She joked. Jakob laughed at the jab.

"Yeah no. I don't think so."

 **_x_xX_xXx_Xx_x_**

When Leo finally came into Makayla's view, his back was turned to her.

She grinned the Valdez-Signature-Grin and signaled to Jakob to stay put. She snuck up behind her brother, moving without a sound, and skillfully unclipped his magic tool belt from his waist before retreating.

"Hey Leo." She greeted casually as if just arriving, the stolen toolbelt behind hidden her. Leo turned and smiled.

"Hey Kayla. What's up?" He greeted in return, not noticing anything different.

"That was my next line to you." His sister responded. Then Leo noticed Jakob.

"Oh, hey Jake! Haven't seen you for a while, where you been?" He greeted as the two did that bro-hug that guys do.

"Haven't really been around much for a while." The blond shrugged, playing along and not saying anything about the missing belt. Then he frowned, blue his eyes flicking between the two as he recalled what Makayla had told him previously. "Wait, you guys are related?"

"Uh, yeah; Kayla's my little sister. Same mom." Leo agreed a bit awkward after sharing a look with the redhead.

"But- you guys… you look-" Jakob shook his head, brushing the thought away.

Leo chuckled, turning his attention back to the redhead.

"So I was thinking," He started, fingers twitching as he rubbed his hands together. "I haven't told you what's been going on the past few years with me and Percy and the others. We went on some pretty _awesome_ quests and I was wondering if you wanted to hear the story?"

"Sure. I would _love_ to know where you've been hiding these past years." His sister mock-glared. He grinned and winked.

"Well, you guys have fun cuz I actually gotta get back to training," Jakob then announced, shifting the quiver on his back. Makayla hid her disappointment.

"Oh, okay yeah. I guess I'll see you around then?" She hoped as she tucked her wavy hair behind her ear, giving her new friend a smile. Jakob returned the gesture with a nod.

As if acting on impulse, he suddenly lurched forward and kissed her cheek before quickly walking off. Makayla couldn't help but stare at his retreating form, standing shocked. She blushed heavily as her hand crept to her cheek; the skin his lips had touched was left tingling.

"Sooo…? You and Jake?" Leo teased, jabbing her side with his elbow. Makayla attempted a frown and smacked his arm.

"Shut up, he's just a friend." She automatically denied despite her pink cheeks contradicting her words.

"Don't let _him_ hear that or two words will come to mind: Friend Zoned!" Leo laughed, leading his sister off. Makayla rolled her purple and silver eyes, surprised he still hadn't noticed his missing belt.

Leo was leading her over towards his/their cabin when Piper and Jason appeared next to them.

"Hey guys! Whatcha doing?" Piper wondered, obviously in a good mood.

"Hey Beauty Queen, hey Sparky. I'm just taking Makayla over to tell her the story of 'The Seven of The Great Prophecy'!" Leo explained dramatically, his hands held out in front of him as though imagining a banner.

"Can we help?" Percy asked, literally popping up beside them. Leo stopped and the others did too. He scratched the back of his neck a bit awkwardly.

"Uh… I dunno. I mean, I was kinda just hoping for-" Makayla elbowed his ribs, cutting him off. " _Ow!_ I mean, why not? You guys were there too! The more the merrier, am I right?" Leo forced out a smile.

"We can chill at my cabin if you want since it's not as crowded?" Percy suggested, not seeing how obviously fake the smile was. The two siblings nodded.

"Sure. Lead the way, Aquaman." Makayla agreed, using the nickname she heard Leo use earlier. The son of Poseidon grinned.

"Hey Leo, what happened to your toolbelt?" Jason asked as they walked, not used to seeing his friend without his signature item.

Leo looked down at his waist and skidded to a stop. A look of shocked panic appeared on his face as he spun around, scanning the ground for his beloved belt.

Makayla couldn't hold back anymore and laughed hard enough that tears came to her multi-colored eyes, holding out her brother's toolbelt. Leo frowned and snatched it back.

"What the hell, Makayla? That's not funny! How'd you even take it?" He grumbled as he clipped it around his waist once more.

Makayla was still laughing but she choked out how she did, causing Jason and Piper and Percy to laugh as well. Leo just grumbled and shoved the redhead's shoulder. When they arrived at Percy's cabin, the dark-haired pushed the door open and they all came inside. They found Annabeth inside laying on one of the beds, reading a book.

"Hello, my Wise Girl," Percy greeted as he sat next to her on the bed. She glanced up and saw them come in.

"Hey guys." She greeted, her face buried back in the book. Makayla noticed that the book was in some weird language.

 _'Probably Greek, seeing this is a camp for Greek demigods.'_ She figured.

Percy reached over to the blonde and slid the book from her hands, quickly putting it behind his back. Annabeth sat up and sighed deeply.

"Fine." She relented, not giving much of a fight.

Percy smiled and kissed her cheek before leaning back against the headboard. Everyone else found somewhere else to sit; Piper and Jason found some chairs they brought over and Leo and Makayla sat on one of the other beds. Makayla rested her head on the pillow and put her legs on Leo's lap. He grimaced and tried to push her off but she just kicked his shin and put her legs back.

"Alright! The Prophecy of The Seven! Where to start?" Percy announced.

"How about the beginning?" Piper suggested.

"When's that?"

"I'll start," Jason announced. "So, the whole thing started when I woke up on a school bus with no memories. I was holding hands with Piper but I didn't know her yet. Leo was sitting in front of us and talking about how we were in a place called The Wilderness School, which is a school for "troubled kids". Then Coach Hedge, a satyr protector, stood up and saw me. I knew that he didn't know me but he ignored me for the time being. I found out that we were going to the Grand Canyon but when we got there one of the other students, Dylan, turned out to be a venti and attacked-"

"Can we just call them Storm Spirits? Venti makes them sound like evil espresso drinks." Leo joked with his imp grin. Jason and Piper laughed while Annabeth smiled but Percy and Makayla just looked confused. Leo waved his hand. "Inside joke."

"Anyway," Jason continued. "The storm spirit appeared and Coach tried attacking but Dylan literally blew everyone away. Unfortunately, Piper got blown down the canyon so I jumped off after her."

Percy whistled at that.

"Dam dude. I don't think even I would be dumb enough to jump off the _Grand Canyon._ "

"You jumped from the St. Louis Arch." Annabeth reminded. Percy shook his head

"No, I fell from the St. Louis Arch. There's a difference."

"Would you jump into the Grand Canyon if Annabeth fell?" Jason retorted. Percy opened his mouth then paused, pressing his lips tight line.

" _Touché_ , my friend." He agreed grudgingly. He waved his towards Jason in a 'go on' gesture.

"So I jumped off but I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing. I didn't know who Piper was then and I was actually thinking 'I'm a lunatic' but I still jumped. I got close enough and grabbed her then we sort of just froze. When I opened my eyes, we were floating in the air."

"This when you found out that you can fly, right?" Percy asked. Makayla looked at Jason in surprise.

"You can fly?" She asked, not sure if she heard right. Jason rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well, kinda. It's more like controlling the winds." He explained. "I can manipulate the air around me so I guess it's pretty much like flying."

Makayla raised her eyebrows, impressed.

"Who's your parent?"

"I FORGOT SOMETHING!" Leo suddenly shouted, startling everyone.

"What's wrong? What'd you forget?" Piper quickly asked, worried.

"Kayla doesn't know our parents!" Leo stated as though it were obvious. He earned five eye rolls.

"Jupiter is my father," Jason supplied. Makayla looked confused.

"A planet?"

"Oh, sorry. Jupiter is Zeus's Roman form."

"So you're Roman?" The redhead guessed, shifting to sit up on the bed.

"Yep. There are two more of us who aren't here right now, Hazel and Frank, who are also Roman. They said they're coming over today so they should actually be here pretty soon."

"My mother is Athena, the goddess of wisdom," Annabeth told their friend's sister.

"And sending her kids on quests to hell." Percy muttered. Annabeth smacked his arm but he just shrugged. "I am the son of the sea-god: Poseidon."

"Aphrodite is my mom. And I'm going to assume it's safe to bet you know Leo's dad." Piper then finished. Makayla nodded and swept her swirling eyes over the five.

"Well, I can definitely say that you're an interesting group." She grinned. "But hey, who am I to judge?"

Just then, the door to Percy's cabin opened and Hazel and Frank walked in. They were greeted happily and introduced to Makayla, who grew an immediate liking to the Romans. Leo told their friends what they were doing and they agreed to join.

"So. After I jumped down the canyon, I got Piper and flew back up." Jason continued after Frank and Hazel had settled beside Percy's bed. "I forgot to mention but Coach got sucked up into this wind portal thing before I jumped. A minute after I flew back up with Piper, Annabeth and another guy named Butch came flying in on a chariot."

"Course we all thought we were going crazy at that point," Leo added unhelpfully. "It was actually pretty scary. She stormed over and demanded "Where is he?!" and we were like "what da fuk"?"

"I wasn't scary!" Annabeth denied.

"I'm sorry Annabeth but you can be pretty intimidating sometimes," Frank countered apologetically.

Leo suddenly jumped up with a small shout, holding his side.

Makayla had her legs on Leo's lap so when he shot up, the action startled her and knocked her legs off him, causing her to fall. She gave a gasp of pain when her back hit the hard floor and she ground her teeth and clenching her fists to hold back a scream.

Leo's eyes widened and quickly helped his sister back up, careful not to touch her back which was once again aching. The pale redhead glared at her brother.

"Gee, thanks Leo. That felt amazing." She muttered through her teeth, gasping and wincing from the pain caused by the gashes in her back.

"Gods, I'm so sorry Kayla I- I forgot. Are you okay?" He apologized, trying to cool his rising temperature. Makayla huffed in disbelief, her eyes turning dark purple as it did when she was mad or angry.

"Seriously? After _years_ of this happening, how on earth could you just _forget?_ You know better than anyone else what happens to me Leo, you've never just _forgotten!_ " She half-yelled.

Leo's eyes widened as he held his hands up in surrender. He was shocked; Makayla _never_ yelled at him. The redhead took a deep breath, hands on her throbbing back, and the six could clearly see that she was trying to calm herself.

"I need some air." She muttered. Her braided hair fell over her shoulder as she turned and left the Poseidon Cabin.

Leo sighed heavily and, after a very long minute, he followed.

* * *

 **And that concludes the eighth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or complements are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 _ **IMPORTANT!**_

 **This chapter is pretty dam (XD) long and _really_ important so please make sure to read carefully cuz this explains everything and if you don't then not a lot will make sense. ****If you guys find something you don't understand then just let me know in reviews or PMs, okay?**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

"I'm sorry for yelling at you Leo. I shouldn't have done that."

Leo had found Makayla sitting just out on the steps of Percy's cabin, her knees pulled up to her chest and her chin on her knees, purple and silver eyes locked on the sky.

"It's just- I'm so stressed out right now." The younger Valdez continued as Leo sat beside her. Her voice was small. "My back hurts so bad and being here is making me feel funny. I- I can't stop thinking about what that weird voice said in my dream too. Everything it told me is so overwhelming, I can hardly think straight. It- it said that I'm going to need your help soon and… it said I was going to- that I'm gonna meet my fathers because they'll help too. Leo, after seventeen years of not knowing who they are..."

Inside the Poseidon cabin, six demigods were listening to the siblings, trying to figure out what was going on. Annabeth turned to Jason, who was looking at her with furrowed eyebrows.

'Weird voice?' Jason mouthed his question.

'They…?' Annabeth wondered in return. He returned her confused look with a shrug.

The door cracked open, they could see that Leo was sitting beside Makayla, brown eyes locked on her as she spoke. The fact that he had been completely silent and hadn't moved for more than thirty seconds sent his six friends on edge. They turned back to listen to the two.

"-whole thing is painful enough to go through by myself, I can't even think of what I'd do if any of this happened to someone else." Makayla seemed to be talking more to herself now more than her brother. "But I'm starting to doubt if- if mom was right. I know I'm strong but I can't go through this alone. But I also can't let any more people get hurt for me."

Still saying nothing, Leo just held his arms out and Makayla leaned into his embrace. She was so happy she had her brother again but she was also worried; she knew that he was used to danger but this was something that nobody has ever faced before, even him.

She shivered slightly, tightening her arms around her legs, and Leo frowned worriedly at the action. He automatically went into Big Brother Mode and raised his body temperature to warm her. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her swirling eyes.

"You'd rather be by yourself than risk anyone getting hurt but this isn't something you can do alone, Kayla." Leo told her seriously.

Another minute of silence passed between the two siblings.

"I know you didn't mean to hurt me, Leo. You'd never hurt me on purpose." Makayla's voice was quiet. Her eyes were still closed so she didn't see Leo wince.

"Doesn't mean I feel any less sh*ty about it," He muttered, his warm hand ghosting like a breeze over her wounds. His sister shook her head slightly, still resting it on his shoulder.

"It's not your fault."

"I still hurt you. And not just now; I told mom that I would always look out for you and keep you safe but I ran away. I left you and now you're in danger again. You just had another shadow attack, something I promised her I wouldn't let happen, and now you're unprotected. I broke my promise."

The guilt in Leo's voice was more than clear to Makayla and the six others. The redhead's purple eyes had narrowed while he was talking, watching him.

"You're doing it again Leo." She stated.

"Doing what again?" He tried to act oblivious but Makayla knew that he knew what she was talking about.

"You're blaming yourself." She told him nonetheless

"No I'm not." He automatically denied, looking away. He hoped his sister couldn't read him as well as she could when they were kids but realized that wasn't the case.

"Don't lie to me, Leo. _Te conozco, hermano mayor. No puedes ocultarme nada."_ She told him, accent slipping in naturally with the Spanish words. "Just because something happens when you're around doesn't mean it's your fault. You're always trying to find a way to take the blame onto your shoulders but taking the blame doesn't help with anything. The unnecessary guilt only breaks you down."

 _(I know you, big brother. You can't hide anything from me)_

She paused then saw what the guilt in his eyes was about.

"Oh, Leo…" She sighed. "You don't seem to realize it but if you hadn't left me then you would never have met Percy or your friends and you would never have completed your quest. You ran away but you saved the world because of it."

Leo gave his sister a look through the corner of his eye.

"When did you become so wise?" He teased after a moment. Makayla smiled a little.

"Depends what you mean by that. If you mean smart, I'm not. If you mean knowing how to put you back together," she poked his side. "Since I was born."

Leo smiled and kissed her forehead before standing. He reached out a hand. The silver-and-purple-eyed teen accepted his hand and he gently helped her up. They walked back up the steps to the cabin and opened the door to find everyone in their previous places as though they hadn't moved.

"Are you okay?" Piper asked Makayla in greeting. The redhead nodded.

"I'm really sorry about that. Sometimes I just can't control my words." She apologized, eyes down.

"It's alright, we understand." Percy waved off her apology and she smiled gratefully.

Leo walked over to the bed and fell spread-eagle on his stomach. He mumbled something into a pillow and even though no one understood him, he made no move to get up. Makayla rolled her light-purple eyes and climbed over him. She sat so her shoulders were leaning against the wall with her legs draped across Leo's back. Her brother turned his head enough to mock-glare at her.

"What is with you? Do I look like a footstool?" He grumbled. There was more annoyance in his voice than anger and Makayla flicked his pointed ear.

"No, but you do look like someone who would do anything to make your little sister happy." She retorted sweetly, batting her eyelashes. Leo put his face back into the pillow. He mumbled more but didn't move. The redhead smirked and flicked him again.

Their friends smiled but Annabeth was frowning.

"I have a question for you, Makayla." Said girl turned to face the blond, asking what. "So I think I get the whole family thing with you two but what I don't get is why just now, you said "fathers" and "they" like you have more than one father?"

Makayla's face dropped and her heart skipped a beat. Her mouth opened and closed several times but no sound came. Leo sat up and turned to face her. She quickly shook her head. Her breathing was starting to speed as her anxiety rose and she began to look even paler than normal.

Leo wrapped an arm around her shoulder, understanding why Makayla was so sensitive. The topic hurt her physically and emotionally: emotionally because as soon as her fathers came, they left. She never got a look at or even the names of either of her dads. And it hurt physically because every time she talked about her fathers, an ache would come back. It was like phantom pain; it wasn't there but still hurt, reminding her of what she was.

It was dangerous for a person to be a half-god but two-thirds of Makayla was god and only one-third was mortal human, making her life more powerful and much more dangerous than any half-blood. Her scent was stronger, making it much easier for monsters to find her.

Leo was brought back from his thoughts when Makayla suddenly stiffened.

Frowning, he turned to look at her face and cursed heavily when he saw her eyes beginning to gloss over. He quickly jumped to kneel in front of her and placed his hands on her face, cupping her pale cheeks in his hands. Using his fire abilities, he raised the temperature in his hands, his hands growing hotter and hotter until they began to literally glow from with heat. With any normal person, the heat from Leo's hands would be melting their skin but Makayla wasn't normal.

She had the same abilities as her brother.

Worry was painted on the older Valdez's face as he muttered prayers under his breath. He could hear his friends behind him asking what was going on but he ignored them and kept raising his temperature until Makayla blinked and gasped, returning to the present.

She closed her eyes.

"Thank you." She managed to whisper, clearly very shaken.

Leo sighed and kissed her forehead, relief replacing his worry. He saw the looks his friends were giving them and quickly shook his hands out, cooling them down.

"How are you okay?" Jason asked in confused shock, blue eyes wide.

"I'm sorry. I just… that happens sometimes." Makayla tried, her weak voice shaking slightly, but Jason was shaking his head.

"No, I meant how aren't you burned? Leo's hands were glowing with heat. No one except him should have been able to withstand that temperature."

Makayla pressed her lips together, palms growing sweaty. Her parentage and her abilities were her most guarded secrets.

She ran a pale hand through her wavy red hair but was saved by sudden pounding on the door to Percy's cabin. Without waiting, the person slammed the door open and Will Solace burst inside, breathing as though he had just been sprinting.

"Leo! Emergency! Have you seen your sis-" Will cut himself off mid-sentence when he saw Makayla sitting next to the young mechanic. "Makayla! I've been looking everywhere for you. Quick, you have to come with me1"

The redhead raised her brow in confusion. She turned to Leo and the others, who all shrugged. Will rolled his eyes impatiently.

He grabbed Makayla's hand, pulling her to her feet. The redhead gave a small shout as the action hurt the gashes on her back but he didn't stop and quickly left the cabin, pulling her along behind him.

"Hey! Will, what are you doing?!" Leo shouted, stumbling as he moved to follow them. Without turning or stopping, the medic called over his shoulder,

"I'm going to save your sister's life!"

Makayla was even more confused now. She could see the urgency in Will's movements. Annoyed, she yanked her arm down to rip it from Will's grasp. The son of Apollo stopped and turned to her.

"What are you doing and where are we going?" She demanded.

"I'm taking you to the infirmary because you will be in serious pain if we don't get there soon!" Will answered, his answer telling her practically nothing. He grabbed her hand again and started towards the building, this time running. Makayla was still confused but let him take her.

When they got to the small medical building, he pulled her inside and told her to sit on one of the beds as he ran around. He was digging through cabinets and searching the shelves and as he rushed around he tried to explain what was going on.

"Makayla, there's something _really_ dangerous in your blood. Do you know what Sodium Nitrite is? Sometimes called Nithiodote?" He asked her.

Makayla's silver eyes widened. She could almost see those green eyes staring at her, almost hear that sickly-cheery laugh echoing through her head, the pain from the needle piercing into her skin… Regaining her focus, she nodded. Her breathing was already shaky.

"Y-yes, I do. Why? What's wrong?" She answered, fearing the worst. Will turned to her with a frown, pausing his scavenging.

"Makayla, look at your fingers. Try to feel something." He instructed.

Confused, Makayla held her hands up and her eyes widened when she saw that the tips of her fingers were pale-grey in color. She touched her fingers together but felt only a tingling numbness. She rubbed her fingers against her palms, over the side of the bed, her clothes, the wall; the numbness of her hands left her unable to feel the texture of any of it, just the feeling of the pressure against her skin.

"My hands are grey and they're numb. Why are my hands grey? Will, why can't I feel anything?!" She half-shouted as panic began to build in her chest. How could she have not noticed before?!

"Makayla calm down!" The young medic grabbed her tingling hands as he tried to explain. "Look. You were bleeding a lot when you passed out and I was still really confused so after I stitched you up, I did a blood test. But… how..." Will trailed off, worry clear in his eyes and expression.

"What? How, what?!"Makayla urged desperately with silver eyes.

"But how did you get Nithiodote in your blood?" He finally choked out.

Makayla's eyes widened again and her heartbeat quickened. His voice, the prick of the needle, his smirk as she screamed-

 _"MAKAYLA!"_

Makayla snapped out of her shock when she felt Will shaking her. He had his hands on her shoulders and looked worried-sick.

"Why do you have sodium nitrite inside you?" He repeated. The Daughter of Two shuddered.

"H- he gave it as th- the antidote." She managed to stutter out.

"Antidote for what?" Will questioned urgently. She finally met the blond's gaze.

"Cyanide."

One word.

One word sent the usually calm and collected medic staggering backward with a look of utter horror on his face.

"Wha-? Wh- Why would you need...? Cyanide is a poison, it's deadly." His voice was frightened and distressed. Tears were beginning to form in Makayla's light-silver eyes.

"That's what I was poisoned with." She managed.

"YOU WERE WHAT?!" Makayla turned to see Leo standing in the doorway, eyes wide from shock. She could only nod. "You were _poisoned?!_ Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I didn't think I needed to. H- he would give it to me then-" Her haunted eyes were locked on the floor as tears fell down her cheeks. She made no move to wipe them away.

A sob escaped her throat. Leo pulled her into a hug; tears came to his own eyes but he fought them back. He turned to Will, who was watching with wide eyes.

"What do we do? How do we stop it?" He asked. But Will was still in shock.

"How are you still alive?" The medic muttered quietly. Makayla managed to calm her sobs enough to tell him,

"After he injected it, he- he would wait until I had- until I was almost dead then would give the cure. I-I can't count how many times he- he wouldn't stop..."

"We… have a… a problem..."

"Wait, what?" Leo's eyes snapped back to the healer, his sister still wrapped in his embrace. Will shut his blue eyes tight.

"You didn't get enough." He looked like he was forcing the words out.

"Enough of what?" The siblings asked in unison, beyond nervous. Will sighed heavily and collapsed into a nearby seat; the young medic looked miserable.

"Enough of the antidote." He finally confessed. "Makayla still has Cyanide poisoning and it's been in her long enough that... that she only has a few days left."

* * *

Leo opened his (dream) eyes only to be met with smoke, heat, and metal.

He looked around and, to his surprise, saw he was in his father's workshop. Dozens of machines and piles of scraps and metal filled the place, automations buzzing around as several giant forges blazed with life.

He turned when he heard loud arguing and was surprised to see who it was. Their faces were red as they glared but Leo knew who recognized them both. He couldn't quite make out what they were arguing about but he could see it involved lots of yelling and arm-waving so he moved closer to hear better.

"-care about what happens to her! She's my daughter!" Leo heard one of them shout.

"Well I didn't see you doing anything about it! And she's not just your daughter. Just because Leo is her brother and he's your son doesn't mean that you can claim her as only yours!" The smaller of the two yelled back.

With a jolt, Leo realized they were talking about Makayla. He remembered that Hephaestus was one of Makayla's godly fathers as well but he always forgot who the other was.

"You didn't do anything either! And Makayla is my daughter!" Hephaestus roared. Leo could see the two were past the point of being mad and knew he had to say something before anything physical or godly broke out.

"I didn't say she wasn't," Hermes denied angrily. "I said that-"

"DAD!" Leo yelled, cutting him off and catching the attention of the immortals. The two gods looked down and were surprised to see the small mechanic.

"Leo? What are you doing here?" Hephaestus asked his son, confused by his sudden appearance.

"I passed out. What are you arguing about?" Leo had to half-yell for the large immortals to hear him. Hermes glared at the blacksmith god.

"It's not something you should concern yourself about, Leo." Hermes grumbled.

"Well I would think so! Makayla's my sister!" The half-blood denied. "You two are her fathers but neither of you bothered to claim her or even let her know who you are."

The two gods shrunk down to human size so the demigod could stop yelling. Leo continued, voice sad.

"You said it yourself: you guys weren't there for her. I know I wasn't either but at least I apologized and made it up to her. The only reason she knows you're her father is because I told her." Hephaestus dropped his gaze in shame, shifting his weight on his crutch. "Makayla doesn't know what either of you looks like. Hermes, she doesn't even know who you are." The messenger god visibly winced. "You say it's none of my business but Makayla's my little sister."

Leo's voice dropped lower as he held back the tears that threatened.

"I haven't seen her for years and now- now I'm- I might lose her again…"

"What are you talking about, Leo? Is something wrong?" His father asked, sharing a confused and worried look with Hermes. The young Latino looked up at him, lips pressed together as a single tear left a trail down his cheek.

"Makayla was poisoned." He stated. The two gods' eyes widened.

"She was what? But how...?" Hermes couldn't finish, his concern and shock clear.

"She was poisoned a lot of times but didn't get enough of the cure last time. One of the healers, Will Solace… He said that- that she only has a few days left." Leo choked up but then his brown eyes hardened. "Of course you would know that already if you actually paid attention to her."

"My daughter…" Hephaestus muttered, not hearing the last part. His gruff voice was close to shaking though not quite.

"She doesn't even know me..." Hermes looked about to cry. He turned back to Leo. "Time to wake up."

The god snapped his fingers and Leo was absorbed by black again.

* * *

 **And that concludes the ninth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or complements are all welcome**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **It's finally time to meet Makayla's big daddies!**

 **I'm sorry it's been a while since my last post, I haven't been doing good medically. S**t's been happening and we're all just trying to figure it out. But don't worry! I didn't forget about you guys, I'm still here.**

 **I'm getting for real sad! C'mon guys, where's your energy? Your passion? I've only gotten like... 3 reviews in 9 chapters. The original story is at what, 228?** **I need input!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's** **get right into this** **!**

* * *

Leo opened his eyes to see the ceiling.

"Oh good. You're awake." He turned to see Will Solace still digging through the several cabinets. "You had me worried but I guess I would do the same in your position."

Leo grinned. Sitting up, he realized he was still in the infirmary except he was now on one of the beds instead of the floor. Then he remembered why he had fainted in the first place and he spun around.

"Where's Makayla?" He demanded, not seeing the pale redhead. His scrambling caused him to fall out of the bed but he quickly jumped to his feet. "Will, where'd she go-!"

"Calm down! She's fine, Leo. She just went to take a shower." Will explained. Leo gave a sigh of relief. "She left right after you fainted so she should be back any-"

He paused when Makayla stepped in the infirmary doors.

"-second now. That's called timing." Will chuckled.

Makayla winked in response to the son of Apollo. Her slightly-damp red hair was braided again, this time down her back and she wore a pair of denim shorts and a loose orange tank-top.

"I am known for my impeccable tim-" She was cut off when Leo suddenly pulled her into a hug, his hands around her shoulders instead of her back.

"You're not leaving me, Kayla. I just got you back. I will _not_ lose you, not again." He whispered firmly. Makayla smiled and returned the hug.

"You won't lose me, Leo. I have been looking for you for way too long and gone through way too much to go out like this." She told him. Giving one last squeeze, she pulled away.

Will called her over and she obediently moved to one of the cots and slid her tank top over her head as the healer moved to rewrap her back (he had taken the bandage off so she could shower). Leo's stomach felt queasy and he couldn't help but shudder at the sight of the four slowly-healing gashes that ran across his little sister's back.

"I'm kind of sorry to say Makayla but you're gonna have to stay here for a bit. In the infirmary I mean," Will told her as he began wrapping the bandage around her stitched wounds. "When you move around, your heart starts pumping and the Cyanide poison in your blood spreads faster. We can't let that happen. Not unless you want to die, of course, in which case you can go play with the other campers." Will paused and his face turned red. "Wow, that was _really_ dark. I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's fine. I know what you meant." Makayla laughed. Will chuckled before picking up his mess and returning to searching through the cabinets. "What are you looking for? You've been digging around for hours."

The son of Apollo replied without looking.

"A while ago, my father gave me a really rare medical book that had instructions for healing and curing dozens of things... including Cyanide."

Makayla's eyes widened and excitement began to bubble in Leo's stomach.

"Wait, so if you find this book then you could cure me?" She clarified. Will answered in affirmative and she almost jumped on him, hugging him tightly. He staggered back but laughed and returned the action. Then he bit his lip.

"Just one small problem. I can only find a few things I can remember I need." He confessed. Makayla and Leo's faces fell and he quickly continued. "But don't worry! I'll find the book and I'll get what we need to heal you even if it means searching every inch of New York."

Makayla hugged him again and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Will, thank you for everything!" She sighed thankfully in relief.

Will returned the smile and opened his mouth to respond when suddenly there was a bright flash outside, another coming half a second later. Leo's stomach dropped before he frowned in anger and turned to the two.

"Will, make sure she stays in here." He told his friend.

"What? Why?" Makayla asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"Just don't come out!" Leo repeated before rushing out of the Infirmary.

The fire-user felt his body heating when he saw the two standing in the small clearing. They turned when Leo appeared.

"Where is she, Leo?" His father immediately asked. Leo said nothing, looking angrily at the two gods.

"Leo Valdez, where is my daughter?" Hermes repeated, voice more stern.

"My daughter too," Hephaestus muttered, too quiet for the several demigods surrounding the gods to hear. Hermes ignored the blacksmith. Then Leo's emotions got the better of him.

"I can't believe you!" He exclaimed. "Did you seriously think that you would show up and she'd run to you with open arms?!"

"I know that you're upset Leo but I just want to talk to my daughter." Hermes rolled his eyes after getting a glare from Hephaestus.

"I already told you. You two ignored her for sixteen years and even as gods, that's too much." Most gods would be pissed AF at being refused but it seemed like the two were in Parent-Mode more than God-Mode.

"Leo, will you just tell us where she is? We just want to talk to her." Hephaestus was clearly already tired of the argument but his son shook his head stubbornly.

Makayla then chose that perfect time to come out. She practically stormed over to Leo, not yet noticing the two gods.

"Leo, will you just tell me what's going on?! And do not tell me to go back-" The redhead stopped mid-sentence when she saw Hephaestus and Hermes.

The gods were stunned to silence when they saw their seventeen-year-old daughter. Makayla warily walked over to Leo's side, her eyes locked on the two.

"Leo, who are they?" She asked quietly

Anyone could see the pained expression on Hermes and Hephaestus' faces. Makayla's expression then changed to one of confusion when looking at the god of fire, as if she was trying to remember something. Leo saw the look.

"Makayla, go back inside-" He tried to tell her but she brushed him off.

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on. You've been acting weird all afternoon!" His sister argued. Her gaze returned to the two gods and her voice dropped to a murmur. "Then they show up and… There's a weird feeling I have, like- like I've met them before..."

Leo opened his mouth to respond but Hermes found his voice first.

"Makayla, my dear... You've grown so much I- I almost didn't recognize you." He managed, sadness in his voice.

Makayla stumbled back with a gasp.

"W-what...?" She stuttered. Her now silver eyes were wide as she spun to her brother, face demanding an explanation.

"Kayla, these… they..." Leo sighed, running a hand through his curly hair. He pulled her to his side and leaned down so only she could hear him. "That's Hermes and Hephaestus: they're your fathers."

Makayla's hands went to her mouth in shock as her gaze flickered back and forth between the two gods. She slowly walked forwards until she stood in front of the two gods. Then in a split second, her stunned expression turned to anger and she raised her hands before smacking both gods across the face.

"How could you do this to me?!" She exclaimed as tears began to form in her eyes. "Why would you leave me on my own?! Your own _daughter?!_ I know I had Leo but eventually, he left and I was alone! Do you have _any_ idea what I have been through these past years?! What has happened to me?! I have been brainwashed, poisoned, raped, beaten, and tortured and never once did _either_ of you help me! I was forced through everything without any help!"

Makayla's eyes were so dark that they looked almost black even though tears were leaving trails down her cheeks. Her hands were clenched into fists at her side and her face was turning red.

"Did you expect everything would be fine when you finally show up after _seventeen years?_ That we'd be a big happy family? It won't! It _never_ will! You two might be gods but to me you both are just two men who abandoned their child and left her to die."

Wiping her eyes furiously, Makayla turned on her heel and stormed back into the Infirmary. The two gods stared in shock as she left.

"She's got your anger," Hermes eventually muttered to the mechanic. The scruffy god frowned.

"She's got your temper." He retorted. Hermes was about to deny it but stopped. Then he sighed and turned away in shame.

"But she's right; we never were there for her."

"Neither was I but at least I apologized," Leo told the two. He turned to go back inside but he called one last thing over his shoulder. "By the way, that talisman you guys made her? It's gone now; it ran out."

Then he left. Two gods were confused at first but then it hit them and their eyes widened. Hermes turned to Hephaestus with a look of worried shock.

"How many did she start with?" He asked.

"Twelve." The mechanic murmured. Hermes shook his head and disappeared.

The god of fire gave one last look at the building his son and daughter disappeared in then sighed before also flashing away.

Ω Ω Ω

Leo wasn't surprised when he saw Makayla sitting with her head in her hands.

What _did_ surprise him was Jakob: his older-brother-instincts kicked in and he frowned when he saw the blond sitting next to his sister, gently rubbing her shoulders as he whispered reassurances.

"Makayla?" Leo called. The redhead looked up and he saw tear marks on her cheeks. There was red around her dark silver eyes. She sniffed, wiping her eyes as he walked over. She stood but hesitated, looking behind at the door as though she was scared her fathers had followed her brother.

"Um, did they…?"

"No, it's just me. I think they left." Leo assured. Makayla sighed in relief.

"I don't- I don't want to be angry but I just can't help but be mad at them." She muttered. Her eyes were turning dark again so Leo pulled his sister into a hug.

"I know, Kayla. Anyone in your position would be upset." He understood, his chin resting gently on her head as she leaned into his embrace.

"Hold up." Jakob interrupted, standing and holding his hands out in the Time-Out symbol. "What are you two talking about?"

"It's a really long story, Jake. I'll tell you later." The redhead sighed, not wanting to explain.

Jakob still looked confused but could see that Makayla wasn't in the mood and agreed. He saw the warning in Leo's brown eyes and smirked amusedly, though he did nod in silent agreement.

"Leo… What should I do?" Makayla shook her head as she returned to her previous position beside Jakob rested her head on his shoulder, not seeming totally aware of the action.

Leo Shifted uncomfortably, not totally sure himself. He was trying to think of an answer when Will Solace came storming into the room.

"Makayla! I am beginning to think that you are crazy your heart rate speeds up when you yell and get angry your blood is flowing faster than normal right now you are going to die if you don't watch yourself hi Jakob!" The son of Apollo exclaimed, mixing four sentences and a greeting into one as he marched past the three.

"Hey bro." Jakob returned the greeting casually.

"I'm being serious, Makayla. If you don't stop, you will get hurt." Will repeated.

"I know Will and I'm sorry." The redhead sighed. "But it's not my fault they showed up out of nowhere and I blew up!" Out of the corner of her dark-silver eyes, she saw Leo failing to hide a guilty expression "Leo? What did you do?"

"Um…" Leo's fingers started to twitch nervously. "I-uh, I might have had a dream about your dads arguing and I might have let it slip that you had been poisoned..." He confessed hesitantly.

"YOU _WHAT?!"_ Makayla exclaimed angrily.

Leo flashed a weak grin before quickly running out of the infirmary.

* * *

Once out the infirmary doors, Leo slowed to a walk.

He could hear his sister yelling after him but she didn't appear. Leo thought of Will trying to keep Makayla cooped inside the infirmary for days and chuckled amusedly at the thought. One of the things he knew for sure about his sister was that she was a free spirit; she would rather be outside any day than locked up inside.

He was walking, not sure where, when Percy once again popped up beside him with Jason coming up a second later.

"Hey bros. Whassup?" The Fire-user casually greeted.

"We have been sent under orders of your capture!" Percy declared dramatically. "We have been told to take you willingly or by force! No questions or answers until brought to our captains!"

Leo laughed then stuck his hand out in front of him as though he were going to be handcuffed.

"I am ready!" He exclaimed in an overly-dramatic voice. "I chose to go willingly. Take me away, probe me to reveal my secrets!"

Jason rolled his eyes at his best friend's actions but Percy played along, grabbing his friend's wrists and pulling them behind his back.

"You are now my prisoner. You have the right to remain silent until brought before The Court of Girls and Frank!" The son of Poseidon announced.

Jason and Leo laughed again but followed their dark-haired friend back to his cabin. Once inside the young mechanic saw Piper, Hazel, Franks, and Annabeth waiting just like he knew they'd be.

"Probe time?" He asked as a greeting as Percy released him.

"Yep." Annabeth confirmed.

"Can't we talk like regular friends? Just this once?" Hazel whined with an adorable pout.

"We aren't regular friends, we're demigods." The blonde reminded

"So that means we can't just relax and talk?"

"But don't you guys want to get some answers?"

"I have a compromise!" Leo called out, getting his friends' attention. "How about this: we chill and hang out like the buddies we are and when we're all done, I'll answer your questions. Deal?

The daughter of Athena thought for a moment before nodding.

"Deal. It's been a while."

So the seven friends did just that: they relaxed together and talked. The Greeks were curious about what had been happening at Camp Jupiter and vice-versa. Percy gushed about having visited his dad's underwater palace and Jason discussed how his shrine-project was coming along.

"Did you guys notice anything about Nico and Will?" Annabeth gossiped. She received head shakes in response and gave an incredulous look. "Seriously? It's _so_ obvious! Those two seriously have something going on."

"You mean Nico's got a crush?!" Hazel exclaimed with a beaming smile.

"Wait, so _I'm_ not Nico's type but _Will_ is?" Percy whined. He was awarded laughing.

"Yes, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth chuckled. "I guess he likes having someone to cancel out his gloomy vibe with a sunny one."

"Aww! That's so cute!" Hazel gushed happily. "I'm so happy he found someone."

"That dude freaks me out sometimes," Leo imputed, pursing his lips as he dangled upside down from Percy's bunk. "But we all know he's a rainbow cake under all that black frosting."

"Totally." Jason agreed with a laugh, a close friend to the son of Hades.

"Any more secret crushes to know about?" Percy wondered. He was laying on his back on the floor with his head in Annabeth's lap and his feet on his bed beside Leo's shoulder.

"I got one," Piper announced with an evil smile. She held her hands out in front of her as if taking a photo. "Imagine this: Drew and Butch."

"Butch? The son of Arcus- er, Iris?" Frank repeated. Piper grinned and nodded.

"Ew ew ew! Butch so deserves someone so much better." Percy shuddered.

"But like... but why?" Leo cringe.

"I dunno but I heard Drew talking to Mitchel." Piper giggled. "Apparently he bumped into her by the stables. He called her a malformed portrait and she called him a fat oaf. He said she was an oversized Barbie and next thing you know, she was totally in love!"

She and her friends laughed.

"I like this. This is like the first time we've actually just hung out together." Leo laced hands behind his head, his curly hair messier than normal as he lay dangling off the bed. "No monsters, no quests, no grumpy gods; just us hanging out together, chillaxin' like the buddies we are."

"No problems, no worries." Annabeth agreed as she messed around with Percy's hair, his head on his girlfriend's lap.

"Whoa! Bad Leo!" The Latino suddenly exclaimed, throwing a hand over his brown eyes.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Hazel wondered, confused.

"No, I just had a super dirty thought right there." Leo chuckled, shaking his head. Eyes rolled around the room.

Frank muttered something no one but Hazel heard and the daughter of Pluto gasped as though he had said something completely scandalous.

 _"Oh my gods!_ Frank! Be nice!" She exclaimed with wide eyes, fanning her face as she did when flustered.

The other teens in the cabin all tried to hold back their laughs at the abashed look on Frank's face but then Percy snorted and they all let loose, the son of Mars eventually joining in as well. They couldn't stop; they could only laugh until they were left gasping for air with cramped sides. The next almost two hours were then filled with the seven best friends talking and relaxing together, not thinking about anything else as they enjoyed the rare moment of peace.

"You were right Leo. This is nice." Hazel sighed in contentment as she cuddled in Frank's embrace.

"It does feel pretty good for all of us to just hang out together." Jason agreed, making small objects fly around the cabin.

"No problems, no worries," Percy quoted Annabeth before hearing a knock at the door. He called out and a moment later, a familiar redhead entered.

She wore the same shorts but had switched her tank-top for a long-sleeved hoodie that looked several sizes too big. Her wavy ginger hair was let down, reaching her hips, and had on a pair of sandals. She received several happy greetings and Percy invited her in so she moved to sit beside her brother, who had sat up and was now dizzy from all the blood having rushed to his head.

"It's good to see you're doing alright, Makayla." Annabeth greeted, shifting to sit on Percy's bed. "But now that you're here and Leo's stalling failed-"

"I wasn't stalling!" Leo protested. He got some disbelieving looks. "Okay, maybe I was stalling at first but then we were just hanging out together and I forgot."

"You forgot about me?!" Makayla gasped in mock offense.

"I did indeed." Her brother teased. Makayla rolled her multi-colored eyes but smiled.

but smiled.

"Real quick though ca-can I just- can I say something to you guys real quick?" She then asked sheepishly, rubbing her neck. The seven friends nodded and Makayla blushed. "I- uh, I just wanna thank you guys for looking out for Leo. He means the world to me, he's my absolute everything an-and I don't know what I'd do without him. It's been a long time since I saw him but somehow I always knew that he was okay. So thank you, all of you, for keeping my big brother safe when I couldn't."

Leo failed to hold back his tears and he wrapped his arms around his little sister, hugging her tight. The group gave their new friend a smile as the siblings embraced.

"It was our pleasure, Makayla." Hazel told her with a smile.

"Our Repair Boy keeps us together." Jason agreed.

"We all love our Flame Brain," Piper added.

"Even if he is a total knucklehead," Frank chuckled.

"Leo's one of our best friends." Percy assured.

"And we would never leave him behind." Annabeth nodded.

Leo felt his heart swell with his friend's love. He tried disguising the sound of his throat choking up with a cough but judging from the looks his friends and sister gave him, he didn't do a good job.

 _"Te amo, mi familia. Gracias."_ He thanked, wiping his eyes.

 _(I love you, my family. Thank you.)_

"That aside though, we still have some questions for you." Annabeth continued, now serious.

"Ask me or him/her?" Leo and Makayla asked at the same time. The siblings looked at each other in surprise and the daughter of Athena gave them a weird look before answering with both of them.

"Okey! Ask vat you vant to kno!" The Latino agreed with a horrible attempt at a German accent.

"How old were you when you last saw Makayla, Leo?" Frank asked the first question before Makayla could protest. The grin slid off Leo's face.

"I uh, I was about eight. Makayla was six." He answered, regret visible in his brown eyes. His sister noticed and reached over, squeezing his hand.

"Who's older?" Percy asked the next question, again directed toward the young mechanic. Leo gave him a 'seriously?' look.

"I've called her my little sister like a dozen times and I just said that I am." Leo told him.

"So... you're older?" Annabeth flicked Percy's ear, earning a grin from the son of the sea.

"Yes, I am older by 2 years." The fire-user agreed. Makayla pouted and grumbled something no one heard.

"I'll go next. If you and Leo are siblings, how come you don't look anything alike?" Hazel's question was directed toward Makayla.

The redhead exchanged looks with her brother before turning back to Hazel.

"We actually don't know. Leo looks a lot like our mom but I don't really look anything like either of them. The rest of our mom's side of the family all has dark hair and skin too yet I'm a redhead with white skin. From what I saw earlier, I don't look like my dads either so I don't know why I'm different." Makayla admitted, not thinking about her words. "But I promise you guys that we're being honest; we really are related."

Hazel nodded, telling her that she believed her, but Annabeth was frowning.

"That leads to my question: what I want to know is what happened between you, Hephaestus, and Hermes?" She stated.

Makayla's eyes widened, slowly starting to turn silver. She bit her lip and turned to Leo for help, who was watching her looking worried. She knew this question would come but she had hoped it wouldn't be so soon.

"Um... C- Can you please a- ask a different question?" She almost begged, shoving her hands in her hoodie's pockets and pleading that the daughter of Athena would let it go. But Annabeth was stubborn.

"Leo said to ask what we want to know and that's what I want to know." She reminded.

Makayla sent a death glare to Leo, causing him to gulp. She pressed her teeth together and cursed under her breath as she held her head in her hands. She tried to think of a way out but found none that wouldn't involve anyone getting hurt or even more lies. So she lifted her head back up with a very heavy sigh.

"Fine. I- I'll tell you." She relented.

"How much? Will you tell us your whole story or just a vague summary of stuff we already know?" Annabeth's voice was blunt and Makayla took a deep breath to keep her emotions in check; the blonde was starting to irritate her.

"I'll tell you... everything."

"Makayla, wait. Are you sure about this?" Leo frowned, grabbing her. The redhead could see his concern but nodded, placing her hand atop his.

"These are your friends, right? Do you trust them?" She asked meaningfully, voice soft. Leo agreed without hesitation and slowly took his hand from her arm.

"If you're sure…" He agreed reluctantly. Makayla nodded.

"I'll tell you guys my story... _after_ you all swear that you will never _ever_ tell _anyone."_ She decided, turning back to the six others.

"And why would we do that?" Jason wondered, raising an eyebrow. The redhead turned her level gaze to him and the son of the sky gulped, unnerved by her purple and silver eyes.

"Because if you don't then Annabeth will never get her question answered." All wanting to know more about Leo's mysterious sister, the six swore and the Daughter of Two took a deep breath. "Alright. My story starts after Leo was born."

* * *

 **And** **that concludes the tenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints,** **advice** **, and/or** **complements** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **In this chapter, y'all are gonna get some explanations. Most of it- well, practically _all_ of it- is about Makayla and her history so if you have any questions about her then they'll probably be answered in this chapter.**

 **This chapter is pretty long so I'm gonna split it into 2 chapters. Unfortunately, there isn't going to be any action, just talking and explaining.**

 **Anyway!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's** **get right into this** **!**

* * *

"I hope I don't have to explain how pregnancy works..." Makayla trailed off awkwardly.

Seven demigods quickly shook their heads.

"Okay good. So you guys all know that Leo is a child of Hephaestus?" Makayla began. "Well, in a way, I am too. After Leo was born, Hephaestus came back to our mother and the whole thing happened all over again. Then something happened that has never happened before in the history of... well basically _ever_." She paused and ran a hand through her red hair. "Oh boy. How would I explain this? Uh… Leo?"

"It's kind of confusing to understand and makes little sense," Leo tried. "But not even a week after my dad came back to our mom... _Hermes_ noticed her and he said hi and one thing led to another. Because Makayla wasn't, uh…" The Latino turned bright red as he tried to find the correct wording. "Um, she wasn't _fully formed_ , I guess you could say, a part of him also became a part of her."

Makayla again took over the story.

"So when I was born I, uh I- I was born with the blood of two gods inside of me and having the blood of two gods makes me more, well… more god than human."

Now the confused looks were gone and six jaws were close to the floor. Brown, gold, sea-green, grey, blue, and multicolored eyes were wide as saucers.

"But- But how? How is that possible...? There is almost no logical way for this to happen." Annabeth murmured, mostly to herself.

"Not everything has to be solved by logic." Makayla's soprano voice was blunt. "I'm one-third human and two-thirds god; you can't explain me with logic. Oh- You guys know about Leo's power over fire, right?" Their friends nodded. "It's supposed to be really rare but Leo and I were _both_ "gifted" with that ability."

"So you're a fire-user too?" Frank clarified. Makayla nodded in affirmative.

"I never use my ability for personal reasons but we both can. That's how I wasn't burned when Leo used his powers before." She paused before sighing heavily. "So that's who I am as a demigod. But I said I would tell you my story and that involves more than my birth. Even though there is _no_ part of me that wants to tell any of you... I always keep my word."

She normally would have smiled at her new friend's awestruck expressions but she couldn't muster the strength. She had said she would tell them everything and that included more than just how she was born.

What Makayla really wanted to do was jump to her feet and leave. Leave Camp Half-Blood. Leave New York. But she couldn't. So she took a deep breath.

"It was about… about a year after Leo left-"

Leo immediately cut her off.

"Hold up! You're just going to skip all the embarrassing childhood memories?!" He whined. His sister rolled her silver-purple eyes, making them swirl like a hypo-wheel.

"You can tell them all the childhood memories later on." She told him, wincing when he grinned. "Continuing... Um, a while after Leo left, I couldn't stand being without my brother anymore. I left the home where I was living with my best friend Ashlyn and her family, got the supplies I needed, and set out to look for my real family. I was looking for years for but every time I felt myself getting close to him, he would move. It was like a giant game of one-sided hide and seek: he hides, I find him, he hides. I searched for years, even ending up in Europe at one point. So many times I wanted to give up. I would stay with such nice people but I would always end up moving on. I stayed with one couple, Anna and Davin, for about half a year. A few weeks after I left them was when I ran into... into _him_. I- I was at one of those restaurants with a bar and I had ordered some lunch with the money Anna gave me. I was waiting when I looked up and saw him."

The Seven silently noted that Makayla neglected to say who 'he' was. The growing fear on the redhead's face made them share glances that portrayed their own growing worry.

"He was sitting at the bar just watching me. He would look at me over his shoulder and at first, I didn't think anything of it. I just thought he was just looking at my eyes as I had seen a few other people doing. The waitress brought me over my food but when she noticed that he was still watching me, she quickly told me that he was a regular there and was nothing but very big trouble. She warned me to stay very far away from him before leaving. When I first saw him, I- I am _revolted_ to say that I thought he was good-looking. He was about in his late twenties, maybe early thirties. But his eyes..." Leo and the others could visibly see her shudder. "His eyes were green but not the green that most people had. His were green like moldy olives or like- or like _muck_.

"He just watched me before he finally came over. He introduced himself and I did the same. He started flirting and, again, I'm beyond appalled to say that I had kind of liked it. We would go to the restaurant all the time to meet up. It went on for about a week and he... he made me forget about looking for Leo." Her swirling eyes showed her shame as she wiped away a tear. "On I think the fifth day we met up, he asked me out. I know, a thirty-something-year-old asking out a twelve-year-old is just wrong but I was naive and said yes. Long story short, he- he tricked me. He knocked me out and when I woke up I was tied to a metal table. The room was dark but I could see him standing next to me."

Makayla's eyes were staring at the floor. Another tear slid down her cheeks and fell onto her shaking hands.

"He told me why he had tricked me but I- um, I-I can't remember what he said." Anyone could tell it was a lie but no one commented."He asked me a bunch of questions but I didn't answer. I never said anything so he- he... he started hurting me."

Leo wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders but the pale redhead didn't seem to notice; she seemed to have forgotten that there was even anyone else in the cabin.

"H- He w- He would take knives and cut me, whip me, burn me, rap- s-starve me; he abused me mentally and physically... It was horrible. The worst part is that the marks didn't- they still cover me. They mock me, to remind me of what happened."

There was silence in the cabin for a minute or so until someone (Makayla didn't bother to find out who) hesitantly asked,

"Can you show us?"

Leo was about to tell Makayla she didn't have to but she was already standing. She took a shaky breath then pulled off the hoodie she had been wearing, unwrapping the bandage from around her torso to leave her on just her shorts and bra. She turned to face away from the seven and raised her arms. She lifted her arms above her head then slowly lowered them, palms facing downward as though she were lifting herself up. Jaws dropped, eyes widened, and tears appeared:

Hundreds of scars covered Makayla Valdez's body.

White and red marks covered the entirety of her arms, back, legs, stomach, lower neck; there was almost no open space on her body. The marks curved all over her pale skin but the worst and the most sickening looking ones Makayla had were on her arms.

Most of the pale or red lines seemed to be on her arms, angled downward as though they were made in anger or looking as though they had been burned; some were twisting, some blistered, and some crisscrossing.

Whoever had done this to Makayla was a sick, insane psychopath who had decided to use her body as an artist's pad, permanently digging marks into her skin.

Her friends were stunned and shocked silent but the scar that made their stomach sick were the two that wrapped around her body. From what the seven demigods saw, they were the thickest scars on her body so were the most obvious, easily and instantly catching their eyes. Makayla noticed that those scars had the most attention so she turned back around. She raised her arm up above her head and crossed them, palms facing out. Tears instantly fell from every single eye in the cabin when they saw.

On each arm, two scars were connected by small curves to create a bigger one. Ignoring the claw marks on her back, the scars started on her palm then wrapped around her right wrist before winding down her arm and over her shoulder, crossing her back then curling around her opposite leg; her right hand to her left leg.

The scar on her other arm was the same. It started at her palm, wrapping wrist, winding around her arm, over her shoulder, across her back, then curling around her opposite leg to her ankle; her left hand to her right leg. Both scars started in curved-triangles on her palms, with two small cuts. The scars finally stopped by wrapping around her ankles.

Together, the scars Makayla Valdez's skin formed an image of two snakes crossed into an X across her entire body.

Percy, Jason, Annabeth, Piper, Frank, Hazel, and Leo looked in horror at marks on their sister and friend's skin. How had they not seen those before?! The seven were horrified at the thought of someone doing that to anyone. They couldn't even imagine the amount of pain Makayla must have gone through. Some of the pale scars were slightly more faded than the newer red lines but the marks could still be seen.

Except… the last time the demigods had seen her back and arms, they had only been able to see her claw marks. But now with the light shining onto her skin… Why hadn't they seen her marks before?

The young Valdez girl turned after a minute and sat back down on the bed. She frowned when she couldn't find her hoodie (it had just been pushed under the bed by accident). She was still looking when someone finally spoke.

"Makayla... who did this to you?" Leo managed to, being the first to talk in a while.

The horror and shock in his voice was clear as day but there was also anger. And that look on his face… Makayla had seen that look before.

It told her that he wanted to hunt down the person who gave her those marks and throw them deep into Tartarus. Her gaze traveled to the people in the room: Leo, Percy, Annabeth, Jason, Frank, Hazel, Piper.

Piper, Leo, Annabeth, and Hazel had tears on their cheeks (they all did) but the boys looked angry as hell too. Makayla could almost hear them promising to themselves to make the person who did this to her suffer as she did. She opened her mouth to answer Percy's question then stopped and shook her head.

"I-I can't- I can't tell you." She managed to get out, her light silver eyes looking down.

"WHAT?!" Multiple voices exclaimed, her brother's voice being the loudest.

"Why the _hell_ not?" Percy exclaimed. Makayla didn't answer, keeping her eyes down. Another tear slipped down her pale skin.

"Makayla, will you please tell us." Annabeth almost begged the redhead. "Someone hurt you more than ever imagined. _No one_ should ever have to have gone through what you did. Those people, or person, or whoever abused and hurt you; they marked _images_ on your body! We just want to know who hurt you."

Makayla was so tempted to tell them who it really was that hurt her, who it really was who gave her those horrible scars. But she knew she wouldn't be able to.

"I already said I can't tell you." She repeated, her voice hoarse and barely louder than a whisper.

The redhead shifted her position so her legs were pulled up to her chest with her arm wrapped around her legs, leaving her Snake Scars in plain sight. She still wasn't looking at them; her swirling eyes were locked on the floor.

"And you don't just 'want to know' who hurt me; you want to know who so you can hurt them back." She knew. "I can see in all of your eyes: the look of hate, the want to get even and hurt them back... I- I've seen that look before. I used to see it every time I looked at myself in the mirror. Whenever I saw what had happened to me, I wanted to find the people who hurt me and make _them_ scream and cry and beg _me_ for death. I wanted him to suffer from the same _agonizing_ _pain_ he put me through."

More tears slid down her cheeks but she didn't move to wipe them away.

"But eventually I learned that it wouldn't do me any good, wishing for revenge. When I did I- I ended up looking in the mirror in a different way: when I would see myself, instead of wanting to get even I… I'd want to hide." Makayla voice to almost a whisper. "I wanted to hide away forever and never let anyone see me: the girl who was too weak to protect herself and became ruined. So I do. I hide, only letting people see a fake me. The only reason that I showed you all was because I promised to tell you my story. If I hadn't then none of you would have ever seen who I truly am."

Tears were again falling down the faces of the people in the cabin but confused looks were also shown. Makayla saw those looks and sighed heavily, letting go of her legs and reluctantly standing up. She closed her double-colored eyes then slowly rose her hands from her sides, bending at her wrists and elbows.

As she raised her hands her body started to change, creating some sort of illusion: her skin color changed to a slightly less pale color and what looked like a new skin appeared until none of her scars were visible except her four claw marks and the scar on her jaw. Seven pairs of eyes widened.

How did she do that?!

Makayla rewrapped her bandage around her stomach and back before returning to her previous position, legs pulled to her chest. Leo's arm immediately went back around his younger sibling, holding his sister close. After a few minutes and several deep breaths, Makayla continued her story.

"He continued hurting me for... I can't even remember how long. Eventually he eventually realized that he wasn't going to get anything out of me by hurting me as he had been. So he tried something different."

Leo wanted to tell her she can stop but remained silent, absorbed in his sister's life.

"I was really nervous when four days went by and he didn't show. Usually, he would see me every day even if it was just to check if I was still alive. The other people there brought me some water and food each day, enough to keep me just barely alive. When he did come back... when- when he came in he was holding two small glass bottles; one was filled with a clear liquid and the other one with silver. He had a syringe in his other hand."

Makayla's entire body was trembling now and she was incredibly pale. Leo held her closer.

"You can stop now." He told her gently. Leo could tell that their friends really wanted the redhead to finish her story but he could also see that they too wouldn't press her if she stopped.

Said girl shook her head.

"No. No, I've kept this inside me for too long." She told him, her voice slightly less shaky. "When he got over to me, he put everything on the small table and filled the needle with the clear liquid and told me what it was. He said it was Cyanide."

Annabeth's grey eyes widened immensely and her hands went to her mouth with a gasp.

"I tried to break out of my restraints but they were too tight. He just watched with his sickening green eyes before he injected the poison into my bloodstream." Makayla had unconsciously started rubbing her right forearm where the needle had penetrated her skin. She still had tears trailing down her cheeks in rivers but she didn't care.

"At first nothing happened. The two minutes later the poison started to work. Never in my entire life have I felt anything so _excruciating_. The pain shot all throughout my body; into my arms, my legs, my head... I couldn't move, I couldn't talk, I couldn't even see. I just laid there and screamed. I screamed and I screamed until I lost my voice and just laid there in agony, praying and trying to force myself to just _die_.

"I don't know how long I was there; it felt like a lifetime. But then I felt another prick in my arm and something else was injected. The pain started to fade and I was able to see again. The whole time he had just been watching me with that sickening smile. Then he grabbed the stuff and left. Whenever that twisted man came back, he would do the whole thing all over again. I- I don't know how many times I went through that... I- I... I lost count after nineteen."

Eyes widened and more tears fell at the number.

There is no way that anyone should have been able to survive that. Especially nineteen times! The seven were stunned silent but then again... she was more god than human. She was probably the one one on earth who could have possibly survived. She was maybe more powerful than any demigod at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter.

"I can't remember when or how I escaped from that living hell-hole but somehow I did." Makayla continued. Her voice was heartbreakingly weak and scared. "I ran and I ran and I kept running and didn't stop. I ran for weeks and months. It was close to half a year later when... when It found me again. I-I have no idea what that thing is; I call it the Shadow Creature because it looks like a living shadow, completely black besides It's glowing green eyes. When you looked into its eyes, you freeze. Not because of some power or something but from your own raw fear. But to really understand, you'd have to go back to when I was a kid."

Leo was gently running his hand through Makayla's long red hair, trying to calm her. He knew what part was coming next. Looking outside, he realized how long his sister had been talking and whispered gently that he would talk now. Makayla nodded silently and closed her silver eyes and leaned into her brother's embrace. The older Valdez shifted to hold her close.

"Before our mom died and I left, the Shadow Creature noticed Makayla and it tried to get rid of her," Leo explained. "Only, whenever Makayla and I were together I guess we made it harder for the monster to attack her. Dunno how. Every time it attacked it would use close to all of its strength and would have to wait a while before it could attack again. When the Shadow did attack Makayla, it would, uh... it would claw into Makayla's back, leaving deep gashes."

 _'So that's what happened...'_ Jason thought. He continued to stay silent.

Makayla started shivering slightly when Leo was explaining what happened so he continued to slowly run his hand through her long red hair again, something that seemed to slightly calm the younger Valdez.

"It was after about the third attack when Kayla's stupid fathers finally grew brains noticed that their daughter was getting hurt." He practically growled. The cabin lights flickered but the mechanic glared. "Yeah, I called you two stupid!"

"Leo..." Makayla warned, knowing the dangers of insulting a god.

She may not be too fond of her fathers but she knew that even though Leo was her brother, her fathers were gods and gods had limits. The redhead opened her eyes and sat up from her position against her brother. She thought that it would be best to start talking before Leo could make gods upset.

 _"To continue,"_ She said forcefully, catching his attention. "My dads, like Leo said, finally saw how I was being attacked and created a protective talisman to put on a necklace for me. When they first made it, it started with twelve gems and each time I was attacked, one gem would disappear and to protect me from the shadow's full power. Except this last time it happened I guess I ran out because the necklace disappeared."

"Wait, you ran out?" Hazel repeated. Her voice was worried. "But that would means-"

"Yep. I've been attacked twelve times."

* * *

 **And that concludes the eleventh chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints,** **advice** **, and/or** **complements** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **We get to _experience_ a bit of Makayla's past in this chapter, not just hear about it! I actually really like this one. It's not my favorite but it is in my Top 5 ****(cuz the ending _*evil smile*_ )  
Also! The main ****antagonist is officially introduced in this chapter and I'm really excited to hear you guys's thoughts about him.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's** **get right into this**

* * *

Leo was upset.

He was upset at Makayla's fathers and upset with himself. When he was hearing what Makayla told them, he realized just how little he knew his sister. His own blood-related sibling! And he also realized how little he had been there for her; he had always been so worried about his next foster home or his next school that he had almost forgotten about Makayla.

Almost. He hadn't lied when he said that he thought about her almost every day. But most of the time though he just had a quick thought; he never thought that she might have left Ashlyn. Leo always thought that he had a hard life, running on the streets and avoiding child services, but now that he had his little sister and has heard about what she had gone through... The young mechanic was starting to understand what a hard life really was.

Leo had been so deep in thought he didn't see his sister shudder or wipe the tears from her eyes but he did notice when Makayla suddenly stiffened like she had been tasered and her eyes widened.

 _"Maldita sea, maldita cabeza de mierda."_ Makayla cursed heavily in Spanish.

Leo turned to his sister with a frown, ready to scold her horrible language, then paused.

"Makayla?" He waved his hand in front of her face but she didn't respond. "Makayla, are you alright?" Then he realized what was going on. "Oh s**t-! Oh gods oh no! You can't do this right now!"

Panic began to rise in Leo's chest. This had only happened three times that he could remember.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked. Without looking Leo explained,

"She's having a flashback but because she's kind of more god then mortal, her flashbacks are different: these are more dangerous because Makayla's mind will actually go back into the past, reliving things that have happened before. It's a negative to balance out her being mostly god, kinda like Frank's firewood." He told them with panic in his voice. He was cupping Makayla's face in his hands again his skin glowing from heat as he tried to bring her back to the present. "She'll feel the pain again, have the same emotions, the same thoughts, everything the same as when it happened. Bit the thing is, her physical body will get hurt now if she was hurt then. And seeing how she was talking about when the Shadow Creature would hurt her..."

Eyes widened as the full knowledge of what's happening started to settle in.

"Her body could get hurt now!" Percy realized in fear.

"Yeah! That's why I'm _freaking out!_ " Leo exclaimed, pain in his brown eyes.

"Then- then what do you do?!" Hazel asked worriedly, moving beside her friend. "How do we stop it?"

"I-I don't know! It's been years since I've last seen her!" Leo was desperate. Then his heart sank when the redhead's eyes glazed to white. He had waited too long.

Makayla Valdez was reliving her past.

* * *

 _Makayla slowly opened her eyes, wincing from the bright light above her._

 _She moved to sit up only to be stopped by leather restraints. There were straps on her wrists, forearms, calves, ankles, and one below her chest. A strip of duct tape covered her mouth, forcing her to breathe through her nose._

 _She looked around in a panic, her silver eyes widening as they re-adjusted to the light and she saw where she was: she was in the room she was brought to when he wanted to "visit" her. She struggled, yanking hard against the leather but the restraints were still stronger than her weak body._

 _The thick metal door opened and her eyes teared up when she saw who it was._

 _"Good morning Beautiful!" He exclaimed in his sickly-cheery voice._

 _Makayla would have either groaned in annoyance or screamed if not for the duck-tape over her mouth. Then she noticed he had a bottle in his hands. Her thoughts went straight to poison and she immediately struggled against her bonds._

 _"Oh no, this isn't your special stuff." He assured. Makayla sighed through her nose in relief. "No, this is something else."_

 _Her gaze turned wary. He set the jar on a small table next to her then pulled up a chair, sitting beside her. He tilted his head so his face was even with hers._

 _"You know I'm really disappointed." He pouted. "I honestly do like you" (Makayla shuddered) "and hurting you… well, it isn't exactly my favorite pastime." Makayla tried to say something but it was muffled by the tape. "What? I can't understand you."_

 _She rolled her silver eyes and gave a small sigh through her nose. For such a smart and powerful guy, he could be pretty dull. She rubbed her shoulder against the duct tape._

 _"Do you want the tape off?" He clarified. Makayla nodded. "Do you promise not to scream?"_

 _Makayla paused then nodded again. Without warning, he yanked the duck-tape off her mouth and she quickly bit her lip to hold back a scream. He folded the tape onto itself and tossed it behind him._

 _"Hijo de puta." She muttered, her voice hoarse from not talking in days. "If you don't like hurting me then why do you?"_

 _(mother***ker)_

 _"I like hearing your voice." He smiled. Makayla rolled her purple eyes again and he continued. "And to answer your question; because you don't want to listen! You never want to help me if I try anything else and since I can't use your 'special juice' every day, I have nothing else to do."_

 _"Why don't you try asking me instead of cutting images onto my skin?" The redhead suggested slowly, her soprano voice sour. He paused then nodded his head to the side._

 _"I could. But we both know you wouldn't say anything."_

 _"You never know. You might have caught me in a generous mood today. Ask nicely and I might just be willing."_

 _Makayla paused for a moment as she realized that this was the first actual conversation the two of them had since he kidnapped her that hadn't involved death-threats, physical pain, or screaming._

 _"Fine then. My dearest dear Beautiful, will you please tell me where it is?" He asked her, a mocking tone hidden in his voice. She hid a smile._

 _"Alright. Come here." Makayla told him. He narrowed his eyes but stepped closer. "Besame el culo, gilipollas!"_

 _(Kiss my a** you a**hole!)_

 _"TELL ME WHERE IT IS!" He demanded, slamming his hands down on her table. His green eyes blazed with fire. Makayla held back her flinch and whimper._

 _"I said I might be willing to tell you but I never said that I would." She reminded._

 _Growling, he turned and sent his dagger flying across the room. The blade stuck in the wall where it was left quivering._

 _"You are really starting to get on my nerves." He muttered, turning back to her._

 _"Now you know how I feel."_

 _"If I were you I would shut up right now. You are in no position to try to be smart. You have no way to help yourself." He growled._

 _He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, rubbing his temples as he tried to reign in his anger. He walked over to where the long knife wobbled in the wall. He grabbed the hilt and yanked it out before returning to her side._

 _Makayla tried to steady her breathing as he twirled the blade in his fingers: she had quickly learned that the action meant he was about to do something she wouldn't like._

 _"Okay, here's how we're going to do this." He decided. He stopped spinning his fingers and moved the blade above her leg. "I am going to ask you some questions and every time you don't answer, I'm going to push harder."_

 _He put the tip of the knife against her bare thigh. Makayla's heart-rate sped up at the feeling of the cold metal on her practically bare skin, her remains of clothing nothing but threads._

 _"I'll start out easy. First question: what's your full name?" He began._

 _Makayla paused then chose the safe path and said nothing. He frowned and pushed down on the tip of the dagger until a pinprick of blood appeared on her leg. She held back a wince._

 _"Next question: who are your parents?"_

 _"My mother's name is Esperanza but she died so you can't hurt her," Makayla told him, her voice shaking the tiniest bit. He frowned._

 _"I said parents, not just your mother. Who is your father?" He urged._

 _That was a tricky question for Makayla as even she didn't actually know the answer herself. She wondered whether or not to tell him then she felt the knife push deeper into her leg and gasped._

 _"I don't know! I- I've never met him! I don't know where he lives or- or his name or even what he looks like!" She quickly confessed. The blade lost some of its pressure._

 _"Okay then. Next question: where are you from?" He asked._

 _Makayla again said nothing. Texas was a really big state and it was doubtable that he would find any of her foster families without her last name but she didn't want to risk it. He frowned again and she bit her tongue as he pressed harder, the knife going deeper into her leg._

 _"Next question: where were you going when we met?"_

 _"I don't know. I just needed to leave, there wasn't anywhere in particular that I was headed."_

 _It wasn't a lie; Makayla had been relying on following the feeling of Leo's presence that she hadn't actually paid attention to where she was or she was going. He saw it was the truth and nodded._

 _"Alright, I will ask you one more time: Where. Is. It?" He once asked again. She shut her eyes tight and said nothing. "Nothing? Are you sure that's what you want to go with?"_

 _Makayla didn't even bother nodding as she tried to brace herself. Tears flowed down her cheeks and she couldn't hold back her scream as the knife was pushed deep into her leg._

 _The pain was horrible; it shot all throughout her leg like she was being mauled by an animal. Another wave of pain washed over her as the blade was messily yanked out of her thigh then her eyes widened as she lost feeling. The pain turned numb then it completely disappeared. She tried to move her leg and her breathing quickened when she got no response._

 _Did he just paralyze her leg?!_

 _She couldn't even feel as the liquid from the bottle was poured into the wound. A cloth was pressed against the stab wound and a bandage was wrapped around her. That was one of the annoying things he did; any time he would cause an open wound he would bandage it up afterward as if he hadn't just dragged a bunch of knives across her skin or stabbed her._

 _Tears were blurring Makayla's vision but she felt as another piece of duct tape was pressed against her mouth, muffling her sobs._

 _Then Ganabranth turned and left, the door slamming shut behind him._

* * *

Leo was starting to lose hope.

Makayla hadn't moved since her eyes glazed over and the older Valdez was panicking but he was also getting angry. His sister had already been through so much crap in her life, why couldn't she just get a break? No matter what it was, something would happen to get rid of Makayla's peace and happiness. From what he could remember, her longest flashback only lasted two minutes but she had been in her flashback for almost four minutes now.

"Kayla? Come on, _please_ come back to me, _please?!_ " He knew it was too late to snap her out but he kept trying.

"Nothing's happening, Leo, just stop!"

The Latino ignored Piper and continued to hold his sister.

"Leo seriously. Tell us what's happening?" Annabeth demanded, no-nonsense in her voice. Leo's knuckles turned white.

"We have already told you everything." He growled, teeth clenched together as he tried to hold back his emotions. "You guys know more about her life then even _I_ did until now! In the past thirty minutes, Makayla has told you more than she would say in years. She's having a flashback and I'm about ready to scream!"

"Leo calm down-"

" _Don't_ , Piper!" The son of Hephaestus cut her off angrily. "It's been like this her whole life years and I am _sick_ and _tired_ of it! No matter what it is, something happens to Makayla to _f**k_ up her life! I just want my sister to be _happy_ but the world hates her and won't let her-"

His voice broke, tears forming in his brown eyes. Piper paused for a moment before kneeling beside her crying friend.

"Leo, I know you're scared for your sister. I would be and am too but all this stuff that's happening… it won't last forever." She tried to comfort. But Leo just shook his head, brown eyes on his little sister.

"It's been happening for almost eighteen years, Piper. If it was going to stop then it would have by now." He told her, voice emotionless. Piper bit her lip, not sure how to respond.

Then Makayla started shaking. It was faint, like a shiver, but Leo felt it. Then she screamed.

"Makayla?! Makayla can you hear me?!" He gasped.

His gaze shot to his sister. The redhead didn't respond; tears of pain were falling down her cheeks as sobs racking her body, eyes still fogged with a white haze. Then he heard Piper gasp.

"Hurry! Someone quick! Go get help!" She exclaimed. Frank jumped up and bolt out the door.

Looking down, Leo saw Makayla's leg was bleeding and not just _"I got a cut and have a few drops of blood"_ kind of wound but the _"I got stabbed and am now streaming blood down my leg"_ kind.

Heart racing, he yelped and quickly pressed his hands against the wound.

"Kayla! Are you alright?! Makayla, answer me please!" He cried.

Leo could hear his own voice trembling from worry. He kept his hands pressed against her leg and in less than a minute later, the cabin door opened and Will Solace rushed in with (surprisingly) a cheetah right behind him that then turned into an out-of-breath Frank.

"I ran into Will and asked him to help." The Roman explained, falling onto one of the beds.

"What happened this time?" Will asked, going immediately into Doctor-Mode as he knelt beside Leo. The older Valdez lifted his hands so the healer could see the wound.

"Um, I don't really know how to explain it..." Leo trailed off, thinking. "Pretty much, Makayla has flashbacks that send her mind and body back in time to relive memories which means that if she got hurt then she gets hurt now."

Will's blue eyes held nothing but confusion.

"What the Hades does that mean? That makes no sense." He told the mechanic, pressing a cloth Percy handed him against Makayla's leg. Leo shook his head.

"Forget that, she's hurt."

"Well, I see that!" Will rolled his eyes, trying to staunch the bleeding. "But it looks like a stab wound and I can't-"

"WHAT?!"

"Leo, when has Makayla ever been stabbed?" Hazel asked her friend in confusion. Nothing came to his mind so there was only one possible time.

"When was she just talking about?" He asked as a response. His six friends' eyes widened.

Suddenly the redhead gasped and began to tremble again. Leo's attention snapped back to his sister and the eight saw something that made their eyes widen once more:

The wound on Makayla's leg was healing itself.

Will, Leo, Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Jason, Frank, and Hazel watched in surprised amazement as the blood flow stopped, the wound slowly closing itself back together.

Makayla's eyes shot open with a gasp. Leo and Will were sent flying back by an unseeable force, causing them to crash into Annabeth and Piper and send the four sprawling. Her entire eyes glowed silver for a long moment before fading back to their normal two colors. She took several shaky breaths, her head falling forward.

"Oh thank gods..." Leo muttered, his head falling onto his arms (his hands were covered in blood). He felt relief wash over him as he saw that his sister's flashback was done. He gave a small apology as he climbed off Annabeth, Will doing the same to Piper.

Makayla's eyes were returning to their regular silver color when she saw the eight other people in the room. She suddenly yelped and scrambled back on the bed as she tried to move away. Her breathing was hard and fast.

"Wh-where am- where am I?" She stuttered, wide eyes fluttering between the demigods. "Who are- who are you? Where's Ganabranth?! He was right here a- a and he-"

"Makayla! Calm down!" Will interrupted, kneeling beside her. "Calm down; he's not here! You're alright, you're safe from him." The redhead's shoulders relaxed the smallest bit but the fear and nervousness were still there.

"Wh-where is he? I was tied down I-I-I didn't answer and he was- he was hurting me."

"It's okay. He can't hurt you here, I promise." Will repeated. His voice was soft. She looked at him suspiciously for a moment before calming slightly, though she looked wary. Then she remembered the seven other people in the room. "W-who are you?"

Seven demigods said nothing but immediately turned to see Leo's reaction.

"Do you know who I am?" Leo gulped, fearing her answer.

"No. No, I don't. Why? Who are you?" Makayla shook her head. Leo's heart died: he had lost her again.

His sister didn't know him.

* * *

 **MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**

 **That concludes the twelfth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints,** **advice** **, and/or** **complements** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I still feel like laughing evilly for that last chapter. It was a lot of fun** **XD** **Makayla gets to (re)meet Chiron in this one explain so he gets a bit more updated**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's** **get right into this** **!**

* * *

Leo's sister didn't know him.

His heart was crushed; his last family... his little sister... he had just gotten her back only to lose her again. He felt like digging a hole and staying there until he died.

"Makayla, do you feel okay?" Will's voice snapped Leo from his thoughts. He saw his sister's breathing was still fast and her hands were shaking.

"My leg and head hurt." Makayla's voice suddenly turned flat and her eyes hard. "But why would _you_ care?

Will held up his hands.

"I care because I want to help you," He told her, voice soft and silvery. "Please trust me; I'm not gonna hurt you, I swear."

"You'd be surprised how people have said those _exact_ words to me. So forgive me for not believing you." Makayla almost spat her words out, surprising Will and Leo and the others.

"That's understandable." Will agreed reasonably. "I have no way to prove that I'm a friend or not but if you'll just come with me, I promise you'll see that we don't wanna hurt you."

"How exactly will you do that?" The redhead's eyes were slowly turning dark purple as they flicked between the eight people in the room, body tensed and ready to jump.

"There's someone you should talk to. He's one of the directors here at camp."

At the mention of a camp, Makayla's eyes widened and she got almost a panicked expression but quickly covered herself.

"Where am I?" She demanded with narrowed eyes.

"Camp Half-Blood. It's a safe haven for demigods; you're safe here." Will gave a worried frown when he saw her begin to panic: her breathing sped up profusely and she started sweating, her hands shaking. "Whoa, whoa, woah! Are you okay?"

"Y- Yeah. Yeah, I think I- I- I'll go with you but just to talk to your director." She relented. She received confused looks at her sudden change of mind but ignored them.

The son of Apollo stood and offered her his hand and for a long moment, she hesitated. Then she slowly reached out and placed her pale hand in his. He helped her to her feet but she stumbled so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Makayla must have felt his arm on her bare skin because she looked down at herself, wincing and quickly shutting her eyes when she saw her scarred body was visible.

Realizing how uncomfortable she must have felt with everyone looking at her, Percy grabbed a blanket from one of the beds and handed it to her.

"Here. You can use this." He offered gently.

Makayla muttered a small "thanks" and wrapped it around her shoulders, covering her arms, stomach, and back. He smiled at her but she saw sadness.

Then Makayla and Will left the Poseidon cabin without a look back.

Ω Ω Ω

Will led Makayla out of the cabin, keeping an arm gently around her in case she stumbled again.

She was still confused as to where she was, who those people were and what was happening but she allowed the blond to lead her. She was glad the dark-haired boy had let her use a blanket as she noticed a few people glancing at her.

Will led Makayla towards the Big House, hoping Chiron knew something. Suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around Makayla and Will.

"Hey Will!" Travis greeted.

"What's up?" Connor added

"What do you want, guys?" Will asked, voice sounding tired.

"Do we have to want something?" Travis pouted. "Can't we just say hi to our _favorite_ Apollo boy?"

"I thought Jakob was your favorite?"

"Maybe. But we like you too!"

"Well hello there. Who're you?" Connor asked flirtily, looking at Makayla.

"Someone that will break your arm if you don't take it off me." She responded coolly. Connor quickly moved away.

"Why're you wearing a blanket?" Travis then asked her.

"Because it's cold out," Makayla replied bluntly.

"Guys now is _not_ a good time for this," Will told the twins.

"Fine, fine, fine. But before we go, we need to ask you something." Travis told Will. The healer sighed.

"What?" He asked in exasperation.

"Do you like cheese?" Travis and Connor asked in perfect unison. Will furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"What? Why would you ask that?"

"Just wondering," Connor tried to look innocent.

"Uh... I guess I do." Will said slowly, trying to guess what the sons of Hermes were planning.

"Good!" Travis exclaimed. "Oh, one more thing; don't go in your cabin for the next hour."

And with that, the two pranksters ran off.

"TRAVIS, CONNOR, DON'T YOU DARE DO ANYTHING TO MY CABIN!" Will shouted after them, face turning red. He looked like he wanted to run after them but stopped himself. He took a deep breath, his face turning back to its normal shade.

"Are you okay?" Makayla asked quietly. Will nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I'm just annoyed and suspicious. Trouble always comes from those two."

"Who are they?"

"Travis and Connor Stoll. Twin sons of Hermes and two of the best pranksters to come to Camp Half-Blood." Will told her.

Makayla nodded. She tried to take a step forward but a sharp pain shot through her leg and she stumbled. She would have fallen on her face but Will managed to reach out and grab her.

"You okay?" He asked quickly.

"Yeah. I just- my leg hurt for a minute."

Will nodded but wasn't sure. She said she was alright but through the rest of the walk to the Big House, he noticed she had a limp which worried him. Makayla's leg wound had healed itself but although the outside of her leg looked healed but if that had been a stab wound, there could still be some internal damage.

Will snapped from his thoughts when they reached the Big House where he saw Chiron in wheelchair form playing pinochle with Mr. D. The centaur looked up when he heard them coming but the god didn't bother.

"Hello Will." He greeted the healer, giving Makayla a smile.

"Hey. We have a problem." Will announced.

"What's wrong this time?" Mr. D asked in a lazy tone. "Monster attack? Ares kids gone nuts? Another camper died on the lava wall?"

"No, none of those. More like memory loss." Will told the god.

"Again? Another trade?"

"No, it wasn't a trade. But Makayla had an accident and now she can't remember anything." Will explained. When he said Makayla's name, the god actually looked up. When he saw her, his eyes widened in shock, a small flash a fear appearing before he quickly fixed himself.

"If it's not a trade then why are you here?" He asked this time his question directed to Makayla.

"I don't know," Makayla admitted honestly.

"Makayla, why don't you come inside?" Chiron invited. "We can try to figure out this problem."

Makayla hesitated, glancing at Will. He nodded to her encouragingly helped her up the steps. Once inside, Chiron told Will to go back to his training and the son of Apollo reluctantly left. Makayla sat on one of the couches, wrapping the blanket tighter around her.

"So Will said you have no memories? Chiron asked her. Makayla bit her lip.

"I- I'm not sure. I don't know where I am or who anyone is here." She told him. Chiron nodded slowly.

"Do you know the cause of your memory loss?"

"Look, I don't know anyone here and that means I don't trust anyone. So I don't want to start randomly blurting out everything about me." She told him bluntly. Chiron nodded in understanding. "But if this really is Camp Half-Blood and you really don't want to hurt me… I could really use your help."

"Indeed this is that camp and I promise no one here bodes you ill. If help is what you seek, I will help as much as I am able." He replied with a smile.

Makayla sensed the truth in his words and relaxed ever-so-slightly.

"Thanks, a lot. As for my memory loss… judging from what I remember, a memory loss never happened from one before but I think I might have had a flashback."

Chiron looked confused.

"What do you mean?" He asked. Makayla sighed. To explain her flashbacks, she'd have to go back to her childhood, which means she'd have to explain her parentage.

"It's kind of a long story." She told the centaur.

"Would you mind explaining?"

"I'd rather not. It's dangerous..." Makayla trailed off.

"My dear, I swear nothing you say will leave this room," Chiron promised softly. "You can trust me."

Makayla hesitated. She had learned early on not to trust people right away. At the same time, she had absolutely no memories of anything after being stabbed by Ganabranth. They all had said he wasn't here so maybe this man could help?

"Okay, I'll tell you. But you can't tell anyone. Like, at all." She relented.

"I swear that whatever you say remains discrete," Chiron promised.

Makayla then proceeded to explain to Chiron about how she was born; how Hephaestus and Hermes met her mom (she didn't remember who the gods were, however, so she just said two Olympians) and how she got pregnant with both their child. She didn't remember anything about Leo, though, so she didn't know that her mom had already had a kid with Hephaestus.

She told him how she was born with the blood of two gods inside her, which surprised Chiron to the maximum. He had lived for hundreds of lifetimes but never before had he heard of anything like how Makayla was born.

"So when you were born, you had the blood of two Olympian gods?" Chiron clarified, surprised. Makayla nodded.

"Yes. And that makes me more god than a regular human, which makes me much stronger than other demigods. Because of that, I end up having those flashbacks which sorta balances it out."

She then explained to Chiron about how her flashback affected her and what would happen when she had one. After she told him about how mom died in a fire and how she lived with her friend for a while. She told him how she left and was searching for something.

Makayla paused for a moment. She had originally planned on just telling Chiron about her flashbacks, but instead, she decided to tell him everything. After taking a deep breath, she continued. She told him about how she ran into Ganabranth and was captured. She spoke about how he had tortured her. Then she told him how Ganabranth had hurt her then how she somehow appeared in Percy's cabin.

"All I remember was that he had left the room and when I opened my eyes, I was here." She finished. For a moment Chiron said nothing, still trying to register it all.

"That's quite a life you've had, my dear." He realized after a minute. "I am very sorry you've had to go through all that. It could not have been easy."

Makayla shook her head. Her swirling eyes had a glassy look and were locked on the table in front of her.

"It wasn't. I don't even know how I survived."

"Knowing your past, I think you do," Chiron argued gently. Makayla just shook her head.

"I don't give any credit to them. I may have two fathers and they may be gods but for seventeen years they've done nothing to help me and it's because of them that I'm not even half-human. I'm more god than mortal and in all honesty... I would give anything to be normal." Makayla's voice was quiet and shook by the last sentence. For a minute or two, neither of them said anything. Then Chiron spoke.

"I know that you do not like talking about this but do you remember why Gan- I'm sorry, that man captured you?" Makayla nodded slowly.

"Y-yes. He was trying to find where this camp was. I didn't know but I didn't tell him that because I knew he wouldn't have believed me."

"Makayla, you are a very strong and brave young woman. Your parents would be very proud of you; your fathers and your mother." The older man told her honestly. Makayla smiled faintly, remembering her mom.

A horn sounded suddenly, breaking through the silence. Makayla jumped to her feet, startled. She had moved so fast that the blanket she had wrapped around her slipped off and fell to the floor. Chiron's eyes widened slightly when he saw her scarred body but Makayla quickly picked up the blanket and wrapped it around her again.

"What was that? What's wrong?" She quickly asked. Chiron held up a hand to calm her a bit.

"It's alright. It just meant its time for lunch. I guess you would prefer to stay here?"

"Yes please." She affirmed. Chiron nodded.

"Alright."

"Thank you, Chiron," Makayla told him.

"Of course." He returned her smile. "I'm sorry I cannot help you with your memories. Perhaps you should try to sleep; it may help. Later I will send in one of the campers here to bring you some lunch."

Makayla nodded then she yawned. She then curled up and laid down on the couch, pulling the blanket around her. Chiron nodded then turned and left.

Ω Ω Ω

Leo watched in painful silence as Will led Makayla out of the Poseidon cabin.

Even after they left, he continued to stare at the doorway. His sister, his best friend, his Kayla... gone...?

"Leo? Are you okay?" Hazel asked hesitantly.

"Am I okay?" He repeated sourly, brown eyes still locked on the door. "My little sister lost every single memory of me. Why would you think I would be okay?"

"Leo, we don't know how long her memory-loss will be." Annabeth tried. "It might just be for an hour or something."

"Or forever. I've known her since she was born and been there for every flashback I know of. This's never happened before." He countered.

The six other demigods exchanged glances; They might not know Makayla well but she was now their friend. Leo was part of their honorary family which made her their family as well; they were all worried about her.

Leo stood. Ignoring his friends, he walked to the door and left the cabin, not positive where he was going.

As he walked, he let his mind wander. His heart was crushed. His baby sister didn't know who he was. The only thing he could think of that could be worse was if he hadn't come back when he died. Then he wouldn't have seen Makayla again. But hearing her say that she didn't know him...

Leo heard his footsteps echoing and looked up to see that he was all the way at Bunker 9. He had walked that far already? He sighed and moved over to a nearby sink on one of the walls, his heart aching as he washed his sister's dried blood from his hands.

He looked around the bunker before moving over to one of his work-benches. He reached down into a hidden drawer and grabbed his latest project. Sighing, he decided to work on finishing it to try and distract him. So he got out a few sheets of metal and got ready to work.

"What's that?"

Startled by the voice, Leo yelped and spun around but turned too fast and fell onto the hard floor. He saw Piper behind him and sighed in relief.

"Geez Pipes, you scared me," He breathed out in relief. He stood and brushed himself off before returning to his seat.

"Sorry." Piper apologized. "But I was calling for you so I thought you had heard me."

Leo blinked then shook his head a bit.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit worn out." He told her. She smiled in understanding.

"It's okay." The daughter of Love gestured back to the unfinished project. "What's that?"

"This? Oh, it's for Makayla. I remembered that her birthday is coming up next month so I was remaking an old music box she had as a kid as a surprise." He explained. "I mean, after not seeing her for several years, a birthday gift is the least I could do."

"It's beautiful," Piper nodded, gently picking up a small metal rose and looking at it. "Can I watch you finish?"

"Sure." Leo agreed. He grabbed a small stool for his friend to sit on and placed it next to him. She watched as Leo welded and cut thin sheets of different metals to make small shapes, talking with him and keeping him company.

"That's so beautiful," Piper gushed as she watched Leo connect the lid to the base.

"I didn't want to buy anything for her but I wasn't sure what to make. Then I remembered an old music box she had as a kid." Leo explained. "She'd play it every night before she went to sleep so I thought I'd try to make her a new one."

"What's the song?" Piper wondered. For a small moment, Leo paused.

"It's a recording I made when I was little when Makayla and I lived with mom: she was singing one of Makayla's favorite lullabies and I recorded it. I'd play it to her every night whenever mom got home late. I- I'm shocked I haven't lost it, to be honest."

Several minutes of silence passed.

"I'm really sorry about what happened earlier. That must have really hurt." Piper told her best friend.

Leo leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh. He knew that at some point she was going to bring it up.

"Pipes, what am I supposed to do? My little sister doesn't remember anything anymore, not even who I am." The older Valdez said, forcing himself to hold back his tears. "I- I want to help her _so bad_ but I don't know how to. I finally found her after years but then... then I lost her again. Only she's still here so it just feels like I'm being mocked."

"When something is important enough to you, you never lose it," Piper told him softly. "Whether it's a person, a love, or just a thing. And if you do lose it then it will always find a way back to you. I know from experience."

Leo gave a small smile and hugged his best friend.

"Thank you, Pipes. I needed that." He thanked.

"Leo? Piper?" A voice called out, echoing through the bunker. It sounded like Annabeth.

"You guys in here?" A different voice called, sounding like Jason.

"Yeah, just a sec!" Leo called back. He carefully wrapped up his project before putting them back in his hidden drawer. Then he and Piper went to find their friends.

"Hey, guys." Leo greeted them when they got near, forcing a smile to his lips.

"It's time for lunch," Annabeth announced.

"We were asked to come and get you two. Chiron said he wanted to talk to you after, Leo." Jason added.

"Okay," Leo said offhandedly.

He thought about Makayla again and how she was doing. Did she know where she was? Was she still at camp or did she try to run? Did she even talk to anyone yet? If she did, did she tell Chiron about her? Did she just explain her memory loss or everything?

Leo's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a tree.

He felt himself smack face-first into the hard bark of an oak tree, causing him to stumble and fall to his back. He laid groaning on the ground for a solid minute, holding his face. There was laughter and looked up to see Piper, Annabeth, and Jason bent over. He rolled his brown eyes as he stood.

"It's not that funny." He grumbled, holding his nose (which was bleeding but thankfully not broken).

"Y-yes it was!" Piper gasped.

Leo scowled, summoning a rag from his tool belt to staunch the bleeding. The three continued to laugh as he started walking again.

"You're going the wrong way!" Jason called out. Failing to contain the growing blush on his cheeks, Leo turned around.

"I knew that."

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirteenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice,** **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Welcome to Dream World!**

 **This chapter's kinda just a filler chapter so not a lot is going on but we do get a sneak peek at the Makayla and Nico friendship starting! :D _Gods_ I love those two!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's** **get right into this** **!**

* * *

By the time Leo, Jason, Annabeth, and Piper reached the pavilion, Leo's nose had stopped bleeding but his forehead was still throbbing.

"Stupid tree." He muttered. From the corner of his eye, he saw his friends holding back a laugh. "Ugh, it wasn't that funny!"

"Maybe not for you," Jason chuckled.

"But it was for us!" Piper laughed.

Leo grumbled as they separated to their tables. Chiron walked up to the front and stomped his hoof to get the attention of all the demigods. He raised his cup.

"To the gods!" He declared. The demigods repeated his toast and began lunch.

When it was done, Leo remembered the camp director had wanted to talk to him so he looked for the centaur. When he found him, Leo walked over.

"Hey. Jason said you wanted to talk to me?" He asked in greeting.

"Yes, I do. It's about Makayla." Chiron nodded. Leo's heart dropped.

"What's wrong? Did- did something happen to her?" He asked, fearing the worst. The centaur held up a hand.

"It's alright, Leo. She's fine." He assured. Leo sighed in relief. "But although I wasn't told, I am aware of how you know her."

"How do you know that?"

"I've known since she arrived here." Chiron lowered his voice. "I have seen the way you care for your sister but remember that she is a strong girl. There is no need to baby her."

Leo sighed.

"I know. It's just... I haven't seen her in years and once I do, she loses all of her memories of me. Annabeth said it might just be temporary but what if it's not? What if she never gets her memories back? I already lost her once Chiron, I can't- I can't handle losing her again."

Chiron placed a hand on his shoulder.

"As I said: she's a strong girl. When something is important enough to you, you never lose it. If you do then it will find a way back to you." His mentor reminded. Leo smiled.

"That's what Piper told me earlier."

"If said by a daughter of Love and an old centaur, it must be true." Chiron pointed out with a light chuckle. He looked up at the setting sun. "Makayla is in the Big House still if you would still like to talk with her. Just be careful going in; I believe she may have fallen asleep."

"Okay. Thank you, Chiron."

Leo went over to the kitchen and grabbed an extra magic plate before starting towards the Big House When he reached the porch he paused. If Makayla still didn't remember him, he would be torn. Annabeth had suggested that it may be a temporary thing but he was still worried.

Despite his worries, Leo took a deep breath. If he could survive a war against giants, die while destroying Gaea, then come back to life then he could talk to his sister.

Remembering Chiron said Makayla might be asleep, he knocked on the door and waited a second before walking in, closing the door behind him. He saw Makayla half-laying on one of the couches as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. He slowly walked over. She was still covered in Percy's blanket and it looked like she had just woken up. She hadn't noticed him yet so Leo cleared his throat to get her attention. Makayla looked up, her swirling purple and silver eyes locking on him before Leo's worst nightmare came true.

"Oh hi. Are- are you Leo?" His sister greeted a bit awkwardly, soprano voice quiet. "Chiron mentioned that he'd send someone named Leo over."

Leo's heart snapped in half.

"Y- yeah... yeah I'm Leo. Uh, he asked me to bring you over some lunch." He half-lied, handing her the plate he had gotten. He had summoned some food right before he came inside. Makayla looked surprised for a second, then briefly flashed a tiny smile.

"Thanks." She said simply, accepting the plate. The two were in silence for a moment.

"Would you be okay if I stayed here? Just for a bit?" Leo asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He wanted to be with his sister but he also didn't want to go back to the pavilion. "I overheard one of the Her- campers planning a food fight."

Leo had been about to say one of Hermes kids had planned a food fight but he remembered at the last second that Makayla was partly a daughter of Hermes and stopped himself.

"Uh... Sure… I guess." The redhead agreed slowly, though she was still uncertain about people she didn't know (she didn't remember).

Leo nodded before moving to sit on the other sofa. The two siblings said nothing as Makayla hesitantly ate, taking slow and small bites. She set the empty plate on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch, wrapping the blanket tightly around her.

"Um, question: you're a demigod, right?" She asked after a short mental debate, chewing on her lip.

"Correct-o. I mean, this is a demigod camp after all. Only demigods can get in the barrier." Leo reminded.

"So who's your parent?"

Leo hesitated. Makayla was his sister and Hephaestus's daughter as well. Her memories were gone, though, so did she know her parentage?

"Me first!" He exclaimed, trying to weave his way out of the question. "Is your godly parent a guy or girl? What's your favorite color and which do you hate? What's your favorite kind of pie? And do you have a non-godly parent?"

Makayla hesitated for a long minute, still very cautious about where she was and who she talked to. But giving Leo a quick once-over she relented, figuring he couldn't do much with those weird questions.

"Um... Guy, silver, pink, strawberry-cream, and no." She admitted.

Leo nodded. So at least she remembers some stuff about her past. Since she didn't remember him, Leo figured that she probably just didn't remember the details of how their mom died. Makayla frowned.

"Wait, why did you ask for my favorite kind of pie?"

"Just curious I guess." Her brother confessed with a shrug.

"How about you? What are your answers?" She wondered. Leo stroked an imaginary beard, pretending to be thinking deeply.

"Let's see... Well, I would think he would also be counted as a guy, red, also pink, taco, and no. My mom died but it was a long time ago."

"First off, a taco isn't a kind of pie flavor," Makayla corrected. She seemed to be slowly beginning to relax in his company. "And second, you never said who your parent is."

Leo was about to answer when the door opened. He looked over and quickly covered his mouth to hold back a laugh at the sight of a nacho-cheese covered Will Solace.

"Where's Chiron?!" The son of Apollo demanded, angrily seeing Leo sitting on one of the couches. Leo could just shrug, still trying not to laugh.

"What happened to you?" Makayla asked, shocked. Will turned to her, the liquid food dripping from his chin onto his arm.

"Take a guess." He grumped, face red. Makayla thought for a second then her expression changed in realization.

"'Do you like cheese?'" She quoted, repeating what the Stolls had asked earlier. Will looked nodded, still super pissed.

"Yep! I went to lunch then went to my cabin. I stepped inside and guess what happened? CHEESE BOMB! Liquid cheese flying everywhere! The entire inside of the cabin is covered and I got a bucket dumped on my head!"

Will's face was red and he looked beyond angry but it was a bit hard to take him serious with the yellow sauce in his hair.

"Uh, Chiron told me earlier that he was going to lunch but other than that I don't know where he is," Makayla told him, also trying not to laugh.

Will turned and stormed out. As soon as the door shut, Leo and Makayla let go and laughed out loud. Leo fell off the couch and ended up on the floor, causing Makayla to laugh until she was crying. It was a good while until the two managed to calm down, the image of a cheese-covered Will in their heads.

Leo climbed back onto the couch and Makayla hiccuped from laughing too hard, causing Leo to laugh again. She cursed in Spanish, hating the after-effect of laughing too hard. She hiccuped again and frowned, pulling the blanket around her tighter. The young mechanic managed to contain his laughter but still had to bite his lip whenever the redhead hiccuped. She glared.

"Sorry! It's just kinda funny to see you hiccup. You bounce a little on your seat." Leo told her. Makayla frowned.

"I-*hic* not that funny. It's actually pain- _*hic*_ -ful."

Leo grinned.

Ω Ω Ω

Once night came, Makayla realized she didn't know a place to sleep.

Overhearing her conversation with Chiron, a sweet girl named Hazel offered to let her stay in her cabin with her half-brother Nico. At first, Chiron was concerned about how Hades would feel as it was the cabin designated to him but Hazel assured him it'd be alright.

Makayla laid down on the bunk that Hazel had offered in the Hades cabin and closed her eyes, dead tired. But the dream she had... it terrified her and made no sense.

 _Makayla stood in a large square room with a wooden floor._

 _But everything was on fire; floor, walls, ceiling. There were no doors or windows but there were huge, dark curtains that were slowly being consumed by the flames. Except nothing seemed to be melting or turning to ash._

 _Makayla started to panic and her breathing sped up, causing her to cough and choke as she inhaled the smoky air. She had always been afraid of fire and now it was surrounding her, the sound of the flames roaring in her ears. She looked down expecting the fire to be climbing up her clothes but the red flames weren't hurting her. She looked down and saw a painted circle on the floor that was blocking the flames from getting close. Makayla slowly reached her hand out, past the circle._

 _She yelped and quickly pulled her hand back once she touched the flames, the skin on her hand red and sensitive. The fire had burned her!_

 _Makayla was really starting to panic now. Like Leo, she was a fire-user and therefore should be immune. Apparently, these flames ignored that fact though._

 _She spun around, trying to find something that could help her, then stopped when she saw something: there was another person in her dream! They stood in the far corner of the room. Makayla yelled to get their attention but the roar of the flames drowned her out. There were too many flames to see them correctly but she could see it was a boy. The daughter of Hephaestus tried to get his attention but every time she yelled or moved, the flames would roar higher to down her out or block her from view._

 _Then the flames began to gather around her and spin like a tornado made of fire. It starting closing in, spinning faster and faster. It touched her skin._

 _"Makayla! Makayla wake up!"_

Makayla shot upright in her bed.

Her heart was beating so fast it might as well have not been moving, her breathing just as hard. She was gasping as she forced non-smoky air back into her lungs. Looking up she saw Hazel with her hands on her shoulders and a worried look on her face. Looking equally worried, Nico knelt on one knee beside her bunk. Makayla realized that they had woken her.

Her white eyes were wide and she put her head in her hands, almost crying, beyond relieved to be out of that horrible burning room. Her dream of the burning room would just be a bit scary to most people but Makayla had a very bad history with fire.

Nico knelt beside her, his hand atop hers, and Hazel was sitting on the edge of her bed. She was gently rubbing her back as the redhead cried, careful to avoid her stitches. Neither said anything. It took a while for Makayla to calm down. Her breathing was still shaking but it was much calmer. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"S-sorry for waking you up." The redhead apologized to the children of Hades and Pluto, her voice shaking slightly.

"It's fine. I was still awake anyway." Hazel told her kindly.

"Same." Nico agreed.

"Um... W-was I doing anything? In- in my sleep, I mean." Makayla wondered.

"You started moving around a lot and muttering weird stuff then you started screaming," Nico told her.

"Are you okay? You really scared us for a minute." Hazel made sure. Her golden eyes told her worry but Makayla nodded.

"Yeah. I just... had a bad dream."

"You sure?"

"I'm fine. I- you can go back to sleep if you want. Sorry." The Daughter of Two apologized again.

Hazel nodded and yawned, standing and walking back to her bed.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Nico asked Makayla with a frown. She looked down and held back a gasp; it was the burn mark she got when she had touched the fire. But that was just a dream…?

"Oh, I'm not sure." She lied.

"You should have someone check that out tomorrow. But I'm tired so I'm gonna go back to bed." Then Nico got up to go back over to his bed.

Makayla suddenly grabbed his wrist with her good arm and he turned back to her in surprise.

"Can yo- uh, t- th- thank you." She stuttered. She wouldn't meet his gaze. Nico could see she had wanted to say something else but he didn't press.

"Course." He replied, giving her one of his rare smiles.

Makayla let go of Nico's wrist and he climbed back into his bed, quickly falling asleep.

* * *

 **And that concludes the fourteenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints,** **advice** **, and/or** **complements** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Yay! Jakayla shipping! I freaking _love_ those two. They're so cute, it's like I put my version of Relationship Goals into story characters (minus memory loss and dangerous evil guys and powers and godly parents, etc.)**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's** **get right into this** **!**

* * *

Walking to breakfast the next morning, Makayla was still upset with the dark-haired son of Hades.

Hazel left early that morning as she and Frank were heading back to Camp Jupiter so it was just Nico and Makayla in the cabin. It had taken five minutes of Nico's persuading just to get her out of bed then another five minutes to convince her to go to breakfast. He kept telling her how she was going to turn into a vampire and the argument had finally ended when the son of Hades threatened to send Will Solace after her. But once she went through her clothes, Makayla sat back down on her bed and went back to staying inside.

"No! I will not go out there. End of story." She argued with crossed arms.

Nico groaned. He had only just met Makayla but he already knew she'd be a stubborn a**. The two managed to easily click the start of a friendship. Even though Makayla was still wary of him and anyone else, she had begun to trust him little by little as hours passed.

"Why not? You were perfectly fine just a minute ago!" The dark-haired demigod groaned.

"First off, I wasn't perfectly fine. I was just scared that you might actually send Will after me. And second, I don't have any more sleeved shirts and I will _not_ go out there with everyone able to see the _hundreds_ of scars that cover my _entire body."_ She told him. Her expression hadn't changed but she had practically been yelling the last part. Ever since her flashback, her ability to create her illusion to hide her scars had somehow stopped working.

Nico sighed; so that's why. The only people Makayla let see her scars were Will, Hazel, and Nico. He ran a hand through his dark hair. He thought for a moment then walked over to his dresser. He could feel Makayla's gaze as he dug through his drawer. He pulled out one of his black hoodies tossed it to the redhead, who caught it in one hand.

"You're lucky it's cold out today," Nico told her, crossing his arms.

Makayla rolled her eyes but thanked him as she slipped the top on, wincing as her back hurt from lifting her arms. Nico's hoodie was a little too big for her so the sleeves were longer but she didn't mind. Now her only showing scar was the one that traced along her jaw but it was hard to hide as it trailed next to her eye. Nico held back a grin when her hair stuck up from static. She noticed and stuck her tongue out. She re-brushed her hip-length red hair then grabbed a small hair elastic to keep it up.

"You try having long hair. You won't be laughing long." She muttered. "But thank you."

"No problem. I would say any time but I like that hoodie so this is a one-time thing." The son of Hades warned. The redhead leaned down to put her shoes on.

"Well then, I feel beyond honored." She teased.

Nico rolled his eyes but smiled lightly as he followed her out the door.

* * *

After breakfast ended, Nico went off on his own while Makayla headed back to the Hades Cabin.

She was halfway there though when someone grabbed the back of the collar of her hoodie and she jerked back. She turned, ready for an attack, then relaxed when she saw Will Solace behind her.

"And where might you be going?" He asked, his blue eyes narrowed.

"And why might you ask when you already know?" Makayla retorted.

"Makayla you can't just hide inside all day or you're going to end up turning into a vampire or something." He told her. Makayla held back a grin. That was almost exactly what Nico had said earlier.

"Maybe. But I have a reason for staying inside all day." She reminded. Will let go of her collar and crossed in arms with an 'I'm waiting' look on his face. She sighed. "You've seen what I look like. Even wearing this, I still feel like everyone can see me."

"Makayla, you know that we can't. Besides the one on your jaw, no one can see anything." He assured. She knew he was right but she still felt exposed.

"I don't know anyone here either. Or at least don't remember them. And..." Makayla trailed off.

Will rolled his hand in a go on motion so she rolled up the sleeve on her left arm, wincing as the fabric rubbed against her burn. She held her arm out for Will to see and eyes narrowed.

"How did you get a burn _that_ bad?" The healer asked. It was at least a second-degree burn.

Makayla didn't know that Leo had told him about her ability over fire as well. She sighed and rolled her sleeve back down. She recalled her dream about the fiery room and Will grew worried as the redhead spoke.

"C'mon, I want to put something on that burn. And I wanna check your back as well."

Once arriving at the infirmary Will had Makayla take off the hoodie Nico had lent her, which left her in just her torso-bandage. She was sitting on the cot with her legs were slowly swinging back and forth, looking at her arms. She could still barely stand seeing the pale and red scars that marred her body. But… lately... she'd had to more often.

Her mind wandered as her purple and silver eyes slowly moved up and down her arm, unconsciously memorizing the details of all the marks. She had never really seen her scars, just glanced at herself and saw lines, but when she actually looked at them it was almost calming as she traced her eyes over them. Then her eyes stopped when they reached the palm of her hand.

She stared at the snake's head.

Her eyes slowly gazed down her arm, over the swirling scar, seeing every small detail: the snake's body was made of two lines connected by small scales, every loop around her arm seemed to be spaced evenly, tiny ridges looking like scales, the red mark was same width and depth all the way around...The snake just looked so realistic.

Whoever had marked Makayla had done so perfectly with artistic talent.

The redhead was still staring at her scars when Will came back in. He paused when he saw her and realized what she was doing. He watched as Makayla's eyes moved up and down her arms, completely unaware of around her. Then he cleared his throat.

"Hey Makayla, I found some- are you okay?" H said as though he had just come in. Makayla's head snapped up and she tore her gaze from her skin.

"Uh, y- yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." She told him, lowering her arm.

Will neglected to comment as he walked over and put his stuff down. He picked up a little cream bottle and the redhead read the label: it was coolant for burns. The healer held his free hand out and she placed her burned arm in his hand before he gently rubbed the cream on her burn.

"Ow!" Makayla gasped. Will winced.

"Sorry." He apologized. He wiped the burn cream off his hand and grabbed an ace-bandage, wrapping it around her arm to prevent friction against her sleeves. "Okay, now let's check your back."

Makayla lifted her arms obediently as her bandage was removed. Will checked her stitches, making sure none were torn, then rubbed a lotion-like cream over top before placing a fresh bandage around her.

"Well, your burn's been taken care of and your back is healing pretty nice. You should be able to get your stitches out in a couple of days. Everything seems good." He reported.

"Besides having no memories," Makayla muttered dejectedly. Will frowned, sad she had to deal with all the s**t in her life.

"I'm really sorry but I don't think I can help with that one." He apologized. Makayla waved it off. He picked up the black hoodie and was about to toss it over when he paused. "Doesn't Nico have a hoodie like this?"

"That _is_ Nico's." The redhead answered. Will got a weird look on his face.

"And you're wearing his clothes... Why?"

She raised an eyebrow and accepted the piece of clothing from Will.

"Because I didn't have any more sleeved shirts so Nico gave me his to use. It covered my arms so I wore it." She explained simply, slipping the hooded-shirt over her head. She pulled her long hair free and grumbled when she saw Will grinning at her staticky hair.

"Ugh. You're just as bad as he is. Am I done?" Will nodded and Makayla hopped off the bed. "I'll see you- oh, one more thing: Nacho Cheese is a _great_ fashion statement."

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" Will muttered as he watched Makayla leave grinning.

* * *

Makayla remembered how badly Ganabranth wanted to find Camp Half-Blood so she decided to wander around as she tried to think of the reason why. Sadly, nothing came to mind.

She was walking casually-slow when someone appeared next to her and slung their arm around her shoulder. Startled and once again going on the defensive, she spun around and shoved the person away. She saw it was someone about her age so she scanned them.

The boy was really good-looking. He looked between eighteen and nineteen years old and had blond hair kinda like Will's, though his was lighter. A faint scar ran along the side of his face we all, his own tracing from his forehead, through his right eyebrow and to his cheekbone. He was a few inches taller than her and his eyes were a really deep blue, like when you look into the ocean from high up. Said eyes were currently looking at her with a questioning gaze.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice very attractive at a low baritone. Makayla stared. He looked familiar.

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." She replied after a minute, wary. "Question though: what were you doing and who are you?"

The boy looked super confused now. He tilted his head to the side.

"I- I'm Jakob but… you already know that." He answered slowly. Makayla shook her head.

"No, I don't. Sorry but I don't know or remember a lot of stuff right now. I'm sorry if you're a good friend or something but I- I don't know you." She admitted, her voice apologetic.

Makayla could almost see his heart fall. She didn't say how familiar he looked though; she could have sworn that she knew him but as of that moment, the only people she knew were Nico, Chiron, Leo, Hazel, and Will and she only trusted two of those five.

Jakob rubbed the back of his neck with an abashed look on his face.

"Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. I- I didn't know. I mean, I didn't know that that you didn't know. Uh, I didn't know that you don't remember and didn't know me. If that makes sense… I didn't have the knowledge that you didn't know who I was." Makayla giggled and an attractive half-grin came to his face "That's cute. Your eyes squint when you laugh and you bite your lip."

Makayla felt heat coming to her cheeks and she looked down, biting her lip. Then she realized what she was doing and stopped. Taking a breath, she turned and started walking again but Jakob moved to walk right beside her.

"I'm- I'm sorry but were we friends or something?" She asked a bit rudely, wondering why he was following her. Jakob shrugged, ignoring her bluntness.

"Kinda, yeah. Well, I gotta admit that I was hoping we were gonna get a bit closer than just friends but I dunno what you thought. We hadn't known each other for very long." He told her casually.

"And you hoped we were gonna get closer... Why?"

"Cuz I like you. A lot, actually."

Jakob's confession slid out smoothly, causing Makayla to stop. She turned to face him, confused and curious. She and this boy had apparently been close and he basically admitted that he liked her yet she didn't know anything about him. She didn't doubt they had met before but she just couldn't remember him no matter how hard she tried.

"You alright?" Jakob asked, breaking her from her thoughts.

"Yeah... just... thinking..." She trailed off slowly before continuing her way, chewing on her lip.

Jakob fell back in step with her and she let him stay. Makayla continued her walk around the camp and Jakob pointed things out she hadn't noticed. He also told her about the Capture The Flag game that Camp played on Fridays, which was in two days. After he was done explaining everything, he began rambling about random things that Makayla only half-listened to.

"What's your favorite color?" He suddenly asked, doing his cute head tilt. Makayla raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you ask that?" She wondered, a bit caught off guard by the question.

"I dunno. Curious I guess." He shrugged.

"Um... silver."

"Silver. Like your eyes?"

Makayla said nothing for a minute. She didn't know why but the topic of her eye color was a personally touchy subject.

"I guess." She eventually agreed vaguely.

"How about... favorite animal?"

"I like wolves."

"How come?"

"I like their free-spirit and courage," Makayla admitted. "They're strong and close to fearless but at the same time, they care for the others in their pack like family. I dunno. I guess I look up to them."

"I never really thought of it like that. That's pretty cool." Jakob agreed with pursed lips.

"How about you?"

"I'm _totally_ a turtle guy!" Makayla giggled and Jakob grinned. "Seriously! They're cool little dudes! They're small and have a portable home so they can just curl up and nap anywhere. Not to mention that they are cute as absolute _hell_."

"Won't deny that."

"So, favorite sport?" The blond returned to his questions. Makayla sensed a lot of questions upcoming and braced herself.

"Um... I like soccer. Anything that invol-"

"-involves running, like track sports." Jakob finished. She skidded to a stop mid-step and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"How-?"

"You told me that when we first met." The blond explained before she could ask, running a hand through his quiff-style blond hair. "Sorry if that makes you all paranoid but we really were friends."

There was a small, almost sad smile on his lips. His free hand brushed against Makayla's and her cheeks unconsciously turned pink.

"I don't doubt that we were. I just- I don't remember anything about you. if I knew you then I'm sure we'd be close. Not right now though." Jakob's smile fell. She felt bad and quickly added, "But- but maybe my memory-loss is a temporary thing? And if it is, then we could go back to how we were before."

Hope reappeared in Jakob's gaze and his blue locked with hers. Makayla felt the urge to break the gaze but found herself unable. She was so completely entranced by the tall blond that she didn't even notice when he moved a step closer.

His eyes tried to tell her something but, for some reason, she couldn't read him as well as she could others. There was a long moment of silent emotions between the two before Jakob shook his head and muttered something almost angrily. To fast to react, his hands grabbed Makayla's waist and pulled her towards him.

He put his free hand on her cheeks and quickly leaned down until their lips crashed together.

Makayla's silver eyes widened, surprised by the sudden action but she didn't pull away. She just sort of stood there frozen. His lips were so soft, his hand sliding from her cheek to her neck. It was a very long moment before Jakob broke the kiss. The two said nothing as they pulled apart, their eyes locked. Then he cleared his throat awkwardly and stepped back.

"I'm sorry I-I-I didn't know- I wasn't thinking. I was- I acted on impulse. I'm so sorry." He stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned red. Makayla knew she was blushing pretty bad as well.

"It- It's alright... Jakob. You can- you don't need to apologize. It's fine." She stuttered, equally as awkward. "Besides I'm not- it's not like I'm mad... or anything..."

The son of Apollo looked back up.

"Wait, what?" He frowned confusedly.

"I said I'm not mad. Yes, you caught me off guard and it's a little weird cuz I don't really know you but if I was mad then I would have broken your arm or something. I didn't."

Jakob smiled and offered his hand. After a moment's hesitation, Makayla carefully placed her own hand in his. He smiled.

"I guess I'll take that as a good thing."

* * *

 **And that concludes the fifteenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints,** **advice** **, and/or** **complements** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **More Jakalayla shipping! I love those two.**

 **Guess what! I totally got that Grammarly thing and I swear it's _so_ awesome! I have so many freaking mistakes that I just look over and it points them out for me then suggests how to fix it. So that's great. Also:**

 **THIS IS THE START OF MY FAVORITE SCENE I HAVE EVER WRITTEN!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla held her hand loosely in Jakob's as the two made their way to dinner.

The Daughter of Two had been given a tour of Camp Half-Blood so now they were just walking around. She had just been thoroughly scolded by Will Solace about still not doing anything because of the Cyanide poison still pumping inside her bloodstream, which _really_ freaked her out as she didn't remember that, but the healer quickly explained what had happened and how he found out and she relaxed.

Will instructed that she was free to wander but he didn't want her to participate in any of the activities. Makayla was a bit annoyed by that as she didn't like being restricted but she knew what was at stake and agreed. She wasn't as ADHD as some other demigods but she didn't like doing nothing. It made her feel claustrophobic... trapped... like she was tied to that metal table...

"Hey. You alright?"

Makayla snapped out of her musings. She looked up and saw Jakob's worried gaze, his head tilted to the side. It was cute how he did that.

"Huh? Oh, yeah; I'm fine. I was just thinking." She assured.

"You sure? You looked a little... out of it." Jakob made sure.

"Makayla zones out like a statue when she thinks." A voice behind them suddenly said.

Makayla and Jakob looked to see Nico casually walking by, looking down at something in his hand. He hadn't even looked up.

"Not always. Besides, how would you know?" Makayla questioned defensively. Nico looked up.

"You told me." He said plainly. "And I quote; "I zone out like that when I'm thinking.'"

"When I'm thinking hard. I wasn't thinking that hard just now."

"Then what was the last thing I said?" Jakob asked smartly. The redhead blushed.

"Well, I have something I need to finish so… bye." Nico stated before walked off. Jakob threw his free hand up in exasperation but the son of Hades shrugged, holding back a grin.

"Am I that bad of company?" Makayla pouted. Jakob rolled his beautiful blue eyes.

"Nah. You're just a handful." She smacked his chest but allowed him to slip his hand into hers once more.

* * *

After dinner, Makayla decided to skip the campfire so she and Jakob said their goodnights before she left for her cabin (the cabin she was staying in).

Making sure to keep aware of her surroundings, she thought about all that happened that day: she ended up leaving the cabin with Nico's hoodie, re-met Jakob, got scolded by Will Solace (twice), was given a complete tour of Camp Half-Blood, and had a super weird dinner that involved dares and Chinese-noodles mixed into jello.

Makayla managed to get to the Hades Cabin without running into anything or anyone and knocked, knowing the son of Hades was inside.

"Is it safe to come in?" She asked through the door, not wanting to walk in on Nico changing.

She heard a faint chuckle and "yes it is" and entered. She slipped off the black hoodie Nico let her borrow, leaving her in jeans, bra, and bandaged torso. As usual, she winced as usual as she saw her scarred-body. She tossed the black hoodie across the cabin at Nico, who turned in time to catch it.

"I didn't think you were actually going to give it back," He told her with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't want to. It's _really_ soft" She admitted while walking to her bed and stretching her scarred arms, being careful to move slowly as to not tear her stitches.

"I know. That's why I had asked you to give it back." He gave the redhead a slight smirk. Makayla rolled her eyes.

"More like told me. Now go away, I'm gonna change."

Nico rolled his eyes but turned around anyway. Not really looking, Makayla moved the curtain to block the sides of the cabin and reached into her bag of clothes (that a girl named Piper had put together for her). She grabbed a pair of cut-off shorts and tank-top before changing.

"You can look now." She announced after moving the curtain back, laying on her back on her bed, one leg resting atop of her other knee.

Like she had in the infirmary, Makayla found herself staring at her scars. This time, her eyes locked the pale lines on her legs. Her eyes traced her scars, seeing each and every mark. Her eyes stared at the end of the snake that wrapped around her ankle and slowly traced the scar, seeing how the snake looked so realistic.

Feeling Nico's eyes on her, Makayla managed to tear her gaze away to see him watching her with an expression that looked like a mix of curiosity, worry, and confusion. She looked back down and saw that she had been tracing the thick pale scar with her finger.

"You okay? You've been staring at yourself for like, four minutes." He told her.

"Sorry. I just... I've never really realized how it looks." She confessed slowly.

Makayla sat up in her bed and swung her legs over the side, still staring at the head of the snake on her palm. Without looking up, she stood and walked over to Nico. The son of Hades was clearly confused about what she was doing. He frowned when the redhead took one of Nico's hands and placed her own hand in his, her palm facing up.

"What do you see?" She asked him. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Your hand." He told her bluntly. But Makayla shook her head.

"No. Look closer." He furrowed his eyebrows as she raised her hand a bit higher.

"I see your scar."

"Closer."

Nico sighed looked at her palm again, looking closer. Then his eyes widened,

"Your scar is- it's a snake. It looks like an _actual_ snake." The son of Hades realized. His gaze slowly traveled from her palm, up her arm to her shoulder. Makayla nodded slightly.

"Yeah. I noticed it earlier today." Her voice was quiet. "I didn't want to but I looked at myself and I saw it. It- it still hurts to see it but when I look closer, it almost looks less scary. It's the same on my legs and I would guess my back too." Her voice dropped. "Whoever put this on me... they- they're either really good or they've done this before. And I can't bear the thought of anyone going through that level of pain."

Makayla stared at nothing.

"Do you remember what it was like?" Nico asked before he could stop himself. His voice was surprisingly gentle. Makayla nodded shakily and sat on his bed. Her swirling eyes were empty and glassy.

"It was _agony_ ; that's all I can say." She told him. "They tore off my clothes and chained me to the table before they gave me this- this weird liquid. It made it so I couldn't pass out. After _he_ left, I could see a man heating something by a fire. I didn't know who that person was though. He grabbed a knife and walked over to me. I can't- I- I don't think I will ever forget what h- he- what t-that man said." Makayla's voice began to shake so Nico sat beside her. He could tell the memory was bad but she didn't stop. "He- he said, _"once this blade pierces your skin, you will never be free again. You will be his."_ Then he- when it touched my skin... It was the worst thing I have ever felt, worse than the poison."

Makayla had tears sliding down her cheeks but she didn't seem to notice. Her voice and body were trembling.

"I could feel my skin burning as he carved this image into my skin. He cut all over me: my hands, arms, back, legs... Th-the o-on-only thing that I could think of was the pain. I screamed and screamed until I couldn't scream anymore. When the knife was pulled away, it would return a moment later even hotter than before. It went on for so long... Nico… Nico I- I don- I don't know I survived. I don't think anyone could have lived through that level of pain. It was the worst thing I have ever been- I ca- it hurt _so bad-"_

Makayla's voice cracked and she broke, collapsing onto herself as she sobbed. Nico sighed sadly and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close to let her cry into his embrace.

To be honest, the dark-haired demigod wasn't sure why he acted so differently with Makayla. Usually, he hated it when people touched him and stayed pretty quiet but for some reason, he kind of ignored that for the redhead. At that moment, he did nothing but hold her.

Time passed slowly as Makayla cried. Nico continued to comfort her, running a hand through her long red hair and holding her slim body close until she ended up crying herself to sleep.

He gently laid her down on his own bed, pulling his black blanket over her sleeping form. In a moment of protective impulse, the son of Hades leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. The pale redhead had a troubled look on her face but, unfortunately, there wasn't anything he could do about that. So he sighed silently and walked over to his dresser to dress for the night. He slipped off the shirt he was wearing and grabbed a clean one.

Right as he was putting his arms through his sleeves there was a long and sharp knock on the cabin door. Not wanting to have the person wake Makayla, he quickly moved to answer the door as he slipped on his shirt. He opened it to see Will Solace.

"Is- Makayla- here?" Will panted, hands on his knees as he gasped for air. The son of Apollo looked as if he had just sprinted across the camp. Nico looked at him with a curious gaze.

"Yeah, she's asleep. Why?" He responded, keeping voice low. Will finally managed to catch his breath.

"I have some news that she'll want to hear." He explained.

"She just fell asleep from crying too hard. I'm not waking her up." Nico frowned, crossing his arms. Will's face portrayed his surprise.

"What made her cry _that_ hard?"

"Herself. Sorry, but it'll have to wait 'till tomorrow cuz I'm gonna let Makayla sleep."

He went to close the door but Will blocked it with his shoe before he could.

"I might have found a way to cure her poison!" The medic quickly exclaimed.

Nico froze.

"I'm pretty sure I can cure her," Will repeated.

He could cure the deadly poison that was flowing inside of and slowly killing Makayla? Nico relented and opened the door to let Will in. He stepped back but grabbed the healer's wrist before he moved to wake the redhead.

"Be careful when you wake her up. She wasn't exactly in the best mood when she fell asleep." He warned. Will nodded but once he went over to the sleeping girl-

"HOLY _HELL!"_

The blond quickly stumbled back with wide eyes and Nico rushed over before his own eyes widened. Makayla had been sleeping on her side but now she was on her back.

And her skin was glowing.

Well, her _skin_ wasn't glowing but her scar was. The Snake Scar covering her body was glowing silver, just bright enough to see. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and she sat up and smoothly got to her feet

Will and Nico quickly backed away as the redhead stood. Her tank-top and the bandage around her torso had disappeared, leaving her in just her shorts and bra. Close to all of her scars were visible as the majority covered her arms.

The entire Snake Scar on her skin was glowing with silver light; a thick line that weaved across her body, starting on her palms, moving around her arms, intertwining on her back, weaving down her legs and ending around her ankles. The detail was much too realistic for liking.

Saying nothing, Makayla stared at the two boys for a solid minute then walked over to the door without even thinking about shoes. Ignoring the doorknob, she just flicked a hand and the door exploded off its hinges. The two boys ducked to avoid the wood and splinters that flew everywhere and stared in total shock as Makayla stepped through the broken door, the twin serpents on her body glowing on her skin.

Will and Nico quickly exchanged looks of shock then ran after Makayla.

* * *

 **And that concludes the sixteenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thanks for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice** , **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHAPTER I'VE WRITTEN I AM SO EXCITED TO POST THIS AND SHARE IT WITH YOU GUYS UGH I LOVE THIS CHAPTER SO MUCH LET'S JUST GO AND GET INTO IT RIGHT NOW!**

* * *

Makayla walked barefoot through the broken doorway of the Hades Cabin, half-dressed with her snake scar glowing silver in the dark of night.

She walked as if in a trance; face blank, eyes empty, and t body unmoving beside her legs. Her steps were even and smooth though a little slower than normal. Nico and Will ran after her but she didn't notice. She just kept walking.

Nico got in front of her, having to walk backward, but his dark eyes widened and he nearly stumbled when he saw that Makayla's were glowing. There was no pupil; her entire eye sockets were glowing silver.

"Makayla? What's wrong with you? What's going on?" The son of Hades was starting to get really freaked out. "Are you okay? Can you even hear me? Makayla?"

He tried to grab her shoulder but her head snapped to face him and she put the palm of her hand on his chest. With an explosion of silver, a blast of light sent Nico flying through the air, slamming to the ground 40 yards (about 130) feet away from the redhead. Will quickly ran over.

"I don't think we can stop her by touching her," He stated the obvious as he helped him up

"Really?! Who gave you that thought?!" Nico exclaimed sarcastically as he staggered to his feet. "Got any ideas, Einstein?"

"Nope. I have no idea what's going on." The son of Apollo replied with a humorless laugh. "I'm gonna get Chiron. Keep trying to snap her out of her... trance-thing."

Nico too ran but back to where Makayla was still walking, her eyes and Snake Scar glowing silver. Nico went back in front of her. He waved his hands in front of her face but got no reaction.

"Makayla? What are you doing? What's going on?" He called, starting to get a little desperate.

The son of Hades normally wouldn't be so worried but he had a good friendship starting with Makayla. She almost felt close to a sister, one of the people he could call a real friend. He knew that he shouldn't let her get hurt but he had no idea what was going on!

"Makayla, you've got to do something. You're not yourself right now."

Nico attempted to get the redhead's attention but it was a little hard to focus with those glowing silver eyes; she hadn't even blinked once. The son of Hades kept trying to snap her out of her trance but then he looked over her shoulder and cursed when he saw someone running towards them.

"Nico! What the hell is going on with my sister?!" Leo shouted, not caring who heard him.

He reached where they were and skidded to a stop and his eyes widened to the size of plates when he saw her glowing scars, which were definitely glowing brighter than when she left the cabin. Reaching around her back, Nico hovered his hand above the glowing snakes. He frowned when he could feel the energy radiating off of her; that was not normal.

"WHAT IS HAPPENING TO MAKAYLA?!" Leo repeated as he practically screamed, smoking hands in his curly hair.

"I don't know!" The son of Hades exclaimed, getting annoyed. "She fell asleep then woke up like this and started walking!"

"Where is she going?" Leo frowned worriedly, waving his own hands in front of her glowing eyes.

"Well, it looks like she's heading towards camp's entrance but I have no f*cking idea!" Nico told him, starting to get more and more annoyed.

Makayla stopped. Leo and Nico looked at her in confusion. Then her hands suddenly shot out and wrapped around the boy's necks, moving as fast as a… snake…

The two boys' eyes widened. Their fingers fumbled at her hands as they tried to pry her off them. It wasn't a super tight grip but it was really firm. Her silver eyes stared at them for a minute then, with the strength she hadn't had before, she lifted the two demigods off their feet and into the air. A brighter glow weaved along the Snake Scar on her arms until both her arms where glowing brighter than the rest of her body.

Her hands suddenly started heating up and Leo, who usually couldn't be affected by heat, gasped and his eyes widened when he felt the burning pain. He gasped and winced, not used to the feeling.

 _'So this is what it feels like to burn.'_ Leo thought sourly as he and Nico tried even harder to peel off her hands, which were starting to tighten. But they were still held in the air which made it a lot harder. They were starting to run out of air.

"Real-y so-rry!" Leo gasped, feeling extremely light-headed as he began to run out of air. He lit his free hand and paused for second before throwing a blast of fire at his sister, hitting her directly in her face.

She was unaffected of course but her hands let go of the two boys and she staggered back, holding her face. Nico and Leo dropped to the ground, coughing and gasping for air. Dark bruises already forming on their necks, the marks of Makayla's fingers burned on their skin.

The two demigods watched in hopeful horror as the glow of the redhead's scar flickered and her eyes switched back and forth between their normal purple and the glowing silver. Then the glow returned to her scar and eyes and Leo's hopes of his sister going back to normal were crushed.

Makayla recovered from Leo's fire blast and she looked back at the two boys, who were still on the ground as they gasped air back into their lungs. Her face was converted to a scowl and her eyes shone brighter. She raised her hands to face them, the snakes' heads staring at them. Her palms started glowing brighter.

"You've got to be kidding..." Nico muttered miserably.

There was an explosion and another blast of silver sent Leo and Nico flying as though they were shot from a cannon. They flew dozens of yards away, landing heavily on their backs before sliding/tumbling about another dozen yards. The two lay groaning on the rocky ground, their necks and backs now sore. They started when Makayla suddenly appeared above them.

 _"Do not try to stop me. You don't know what you are dealing with. This is more important than you could imagine."_

Leo and Nico's eyes widened more when they heard a voice that definitely wasn't Makayla's. Her's was a pleasant soprano-range with a melodic tone. This one was deep and smooth but it sounded how a snake would if it could talk, hissing darkly.

"Who- are you?" Nico asked. Thankfully, his voice was less shaky than he had thought it would be but it was hoarse and dry from his choking. Makayla's glowing silver eyes turned to him.

 _"You wouldn't know my name, Nico DiAngelo. But I am in a good mood so I will tell you this: I work with the shadow."_ Leo's eyes widened and his breath caught. Makayla then turned to face him. _"Yes, Leo Valdez: the Shadow you fear so much. Again, do not try to stop me. What I am planning to do is something beyond your imagination. It will be the beginning of something new and more powerful than ever before. And Makayla has accepted to help me in my plans."_

"Makayla would never have agreed-" Leo began to protest but broke into a coughing fit, throat aching painfully.

 _"I agree that she would not join me willingly."_ The snake voice agreed. _"But once she gained my mark, she was mine for taking."_

"That was forced on- *coughing* on her! Makayla never chose *single cough* to get that scar." Nico argued. It was scary and creepy to see Makayla talking about herself in the third person but creepier to hear her talking in a dark snake's voice.

 _"But she did not stop it. She had the power and ability to have stopped my servant from marking her but she did nothing."_ Makayla's scar was really glowing now.

She raised her hands above Nico and Leo, who were both still on the ground. Her palms glowed brighter and brighter before the silver light shaped into sharp metal blades in both her palms.

 _"How do you think Makayla will react, returning to her mind to see herself standing over the dead bodies of her brother and her friend?"_

In desperation, Nico tried to Shadow Travel away but his heart dropped when he was unable to. He focused even harder but still, nothing happened. Looking to his right side he guessed that Leo was having the same problem trying to use his own powers.

Makayla's silver blades aimed at Nico and Leo.

 _"Goodbye, half-bloods."_

They looked away.

Ω Ω Ω

Nico and Leo looked away, waiting for the pain of the blades to pierce their bodies.

But before Makayla could attack there was a quick whizzing sound and she screamed with pain, the voice of both the snake and Makayla echoing through the camp. The two boys looked up in surprise to see a black arrow had shot through the air and buried itself into Makayla's left arm, just above her elbow. The arrow-point had been fired with such strength that it had gone pierced through her arm and out the opposite side, the shaft embedded in her arm. Leo and Nico's eyes widened and they looked behind Makayla to saw Chiron lowering his bow.

Chiron _shot_ Makayla?!

Hearts racing, the two boys watched as Makayla's silver eyes slowly faded until they were her normal purple color. The glow on her scar started to fade away as well. She swayed and her eyes rolled back. Her knees buckled and she fell forward.

She would have fallen onto her face but Leo managed to lunge forward, catching her before her head smacked against the rocky ground. The glow had disappeared completely from her body so she now looked like a normal sleeping Makayla.

Except she had an arrow through her arm.

Chiron galloped up the hill until he reached the demigods. He still had his bow and he looked warily at Makayla's sleeping form as though he was suspicious that she was faking unconsciousness.

"You _shot_ my sister?!" Leo exclaimed in disbelief as he held Makayla, his throat throbbing. Chiron turned to the fire-user.

"That arrow is different than any other, Leo." He explained. "It was enchanted to remove all magical energy from the target, rendering them powerless, and when Will Solace told me what was happening I used my last one."

Nico shakily got to his feet with a horribly dry cough.

"Well her "magical energy" just blew up my door, choked me _*wince*_ while holding me off the ground, shot me 15 feet through the air twice, and made glowing knives appear from her hands," Nico told the centaur. Adrenaline was racing through the bodies of him and Leo, both still shaken from their near-death experience.

"How did she do that? Makayla doesn't even have that kind of power." Leo frowned. He was still kneeling on the ground as he held his unconscious sister. She had blood dripping down her arm but Leo didn't seem to care that it was getting onto him. Chiron nodded slowly.

"Being told, I am confused by that as well. If Makayla knew of these powers then she never told anyone." The centaur admitted. Leo just shook his head.

"No. If Makayla had known about having that she would have told me. Unless she-" Leo erupted into a coughing fit, hand moving to his neck. "- unless she somehow got or discovered them while I was gone because I've never seen them when we were younger."

"Wait a sec. That weird voice said that Makayla had the power to stop the people from _*hoarse cough*_ from hurting her but she didn't do anything." Nico remembered, wincing when he swallowed. "If she knew she could have stopped them then she would have."

Chiron quickly turned to him.

"What did the voice sound like?" He practically demanded, looking almost afraid to hear the answer.

"It was dark and hissed a lot, kinda like what a snake would sound like if it could talk." The son of Hades explained.

Chiron paled significantly. He reached down and took the unconscious Makayla from Leo, careful to avoid the arrow still in her arm and the blood dripping down.

"Come quickly. There is something I must tell you both." He told them seriously. Then he galloped away to the Big House.

"'Come quickly.' Easy to say when you're half-horse." Leo mumbled, getting to his feet.

Despite the near-death experience, Nico grinned.

* * *

 **And that concludes the seventeenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice** , **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I'm sorry I haven't posted in so long. I've been in the hospital trying to qualify for an important surgery so I didn't really have updating my story on my mind. But I'm back now!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

When Leo and Nico arrived at the Big house they saw Chiron in wheelchair form and an unconscious Makayla laying one of the couches.

Will Solace was cleaning the blood from her arrow wound. He hadn't taken the arrow out yet but the tip and end of it were snapped, leaving just the shaft embedded in her arm.

Chiron looked up as the two dirt-covered and exhausted boys come in. There were large and rather obvious bruises on their necks where Makayla had grabbed them, the marks from her fingers clear. Leo trudged over to one of the other couches and literally threw himself onto his stomach, face buried in one of the pillows, mumble-wincing when he hit his neck. Nico fell onto the single-person couch with an intense curse, exhausted.

For a long moment, the room was silent save Will muttering to himself. Then Chiron sighed.

"I assume you two would like to know what just happened." He centaur guessed. Nico and Leo nodded, the Latino's face still buried in the pillow. Will looked up for but after realizing he wasn't being talked to, he returned his attention to Makayla. "Just to clarify, do you know how Makayla got her scar?"

Leo nodded again, taking his face out of the pillow to sit up, but Nico furrowed his eyebrows.

"You mean the detailed version or just the overview?" He asked. "Cuz Makayla told me everything about how she got it before she fell asleep. She was really descriptive."

"She was talking of her scar before she slept?" Chiron clarified. Nico nodded. "What happened."

Will was the one who answered.

"Actually, I had run over to the Hades Cabin to tell Makayla something," He told his mentor. "But once I got close, she started glowing. Then she blew up the door and all that freaky stuff happened."

Chiron had a thoughtful expression on his face and he looked a bit confused.

"What were you going to tell Makayla before this happened?" He then asked. The blond healer, seeing how he was now talking, continued.

"Uh, I went over to the cabin to tell her I found my medical book and can cure her poison now."

"You what?!" Leo demanded, jumping to his feet. He immediately erupted into a coughing fit. Makayla breathed in deeply in response and mumbled something.

"Don't yell!" Will whisper-shouted. The redhead had a disturbed look on her face but she was still deeply asleep.

"You found a cure for Kayla's poison?" Leo repeated, his voice quieter but still as hopeful. The son of Apollo bit his lip.

"Yeees... The thing is, I'm only about 90% sure it would work." He told the young mechanic. "And if the other 10% is _wrong_... it would kill her instead." Leo fell back onto the couch. He looked like a deflated balloon with almost no air. "But as I said, I'm pretty sure it'll work! I'm usually right about these things." Leo seemed to inflate a little again and Will turned back to Chiron. "Sorry for interrupting."

"It's alright, Will. That's great news." Chiron told him. "But returning to the original topic, what happened when you entered the Hades Cabin?"

"Well, Nico let me in and I went over to where she was sleeping but as soon as I got close, all her scars started glowing. After a second they all faded out until it was just her two big ones. Nico came over and Makayla got up. She walked over to the door but instead of opening it she just waved her hand and it blew up. Then she went outside as if nothing happened." Will reported.

Chiron nodded and the healer turned back to the unconscious 17-year-old. He quickly wiped away the blood that had started down her arm.

"Did you have to shoot it all the way through?" He muttered, cursing quietly in Ancient Greek.

Chiron raised an eyebrow but the son of Apollo was ignoring them again, trying to clean the wound enough to be able to take the arrow out. Ignoring the healer for, the centaur started again.

"Tell me again what the voice said." He asked Nico and Leo.

"Uh, it said 'What I am planning to do is beyond your imagination. It will be the beginning of something new and more powerful than ever before'" Leo remembered. "What was that snake-person talking about?"

Chiron had his head in his hands.

"Why must it be now? Of all the times..." He sighed miserably.

He sighed heavily and raised his head, speaking louder. "My boys… I was hoping I may not have to tell you this but now I must. A week before Makayla arrived here at Camp Half-Blood, the Olympians received a threat. No one knew who by but I had my suspicions. However, who I thought has not been heard from or seen in so long that I put my thoughts to rest. Then Makayla appeared. When she told her story, that suspicion was aroused once more and confirmed."

Chiron paused, unconsciously looking around the room even though the five were the only ones there. He continued.

"The people who took Makayla are part of an organization known as The Serpents. Some of the members are rouge demigods, other regular mortals. Their leader is a man named Ganabranth." The name sent a shiver down Leo's spine and glancing at Will and Nico, he guessed it was the same for them. "Some call him a magician and claim he is a man from beyond this world. But he is just a strong half-blood with extraordinary power whose parentage is unknown by all. Because of the secretive power of the group, he has not been heard from or seen for many, many years."

Chiron paused for a minute to let what he'd said sink in.

"Twice a year before they went inactive, the group would brand a person with their mark, half-blood or mortal. Makayla must have done something they did not like seeing they marked their symbol onto her entire body." Chiron paused; he was getting to the part he knew the three boys wouldn't like. "What the brand does, is if someone escapes or leaves then the leader can use the magic in said mark to call them back to the place where they were marked."

"So when Makayla's scar was glowing just now she was trying to be forced to go back?" Leo clarified, worry and fear growing in his brown eyes. The centaur nodded solemnly.

"Correct. The group must have decided that Makayla had been gone too long and tried to make her return. But what worries me is what the voice controlling Makayla said. If the Serpents truly are planning something, given the resources, power, and abilities they have, it will be more powerful than anything we have faced before. If their plan truly is destruction... this may even be as big or bigger than Kronos' attack."

Three pairs of eyes widened.

"But how?" Nico frowned worriedly. "Kronos was one of the worst things to ever happen. He almost destroyed the gods! Besides Gaea, how could anything beat that? And if those guys are so strong then why didn't Gaea or Kronos get those snake dudes to help them?"

"Be careful with those names," Chiron warned. "And as I said: The Serpents are a powerful organization. Why those two did not try for their help is beyond my knowledge. The Serpents are an extremely secretive group and words cannot _begin_ to describe how hard they are to find. They have been inactive for many many years and that is why I put aside my suspicions at first. I do not know what they are planning or what it has to do with Makayla. But if they truly are returning..."

He trailed off.

"So basically we're screwed," Will stated after a long minute, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"There is one more thing about Makayla that you should know, Leo..." Chiron hesitated. He didn't want to say anything but Leo deserved to know what had happened and what could happen to his sister.

"Yeah...?" Leo urged.

"When the group brands someone with their mark, that person is unable to leave the Serpents. Those marked can… can be controlled by their leader and at this time, that happens to be Ganabranth. She may have said different, but he is the same man Makayla was held captive by."

Eyes widen in shock. They turned to the unconscious redhead, seeing the Snake Scar on her skin.

"So that- does that mean that Kayla... she can- she can be controlled by other people whenever they want?" Leo realized, his voice shaking. "She's never just gonna be a regular girl that can do and go wherever she wants?"

"I am so very sorry but that is correct," Chiron agreed solemnly.

Leo put his head in his hands. It looked like he was trying not to cry, although no one would blame him if he did. It was a very long minute before he took a shaky breath.

"How can we get her free?" He asked, his voice muffled.

"Unless the organization is destroyed, which I fear to doubt but is admittedly unlikely... I do not think we can." Chiron admitted dejectedly.

"What about the gods? Could they remove it?"

"Leo, your sister being noticed by the gods is dangerous as it is. Never before as a demigod been born by two godly parents; Zeus would not let her pass lightly. Is it possible that the gods could remove her mark? I sadly doubt that so Ganabranth is so extremely powerful. I fear Makayla will forever be marked as his."

Ω Ω Ω

Leo stayed in his position for several minutes.

His head was in his hands and he didn't move, which worried Will and Nico. Leo was never still. He muttered something but no one could hear him.

"What?" Will asked.

"How are you getting the arrow out?" Leo repeated louder. The healer blinked.

"Uh… I'm not sure. I mean, I cleaned the wound best I could and slowed her bleeding but I'm not sure how to take it out without causing more damage." He explained. He gave Chiron a frown. "Did you have to shoot it through her arm?"

"I was more focused on making sure she did not kill Nico and Leo first," The centaur reminded, raising an eyebrow at the healer.

Will turned back to the unconscious redhead. He held her arm gently, trying to find a way that wouldn't make her arm bleed again or tear anything.

"Even if I can get the arrow out of her, her arm is going to have some problems." He continued. "The arrow came close to one of her major veins but luckily it wasn't hit. It did kind of scrape one of her nerves though so she'll have to get wrapped up for a while. There's no doubt that her arm will be significantly weaker from now on." Then he bit his lip thoughtfully. "There is one way I can think of... but Makayla will _not_ like it."

"What is it?" Nico wondered.

"Well... in the olden days, one thing people used to do for arrow wounds is taking a heated knife and sliding it underneath the arrowhead to pull it out. The heat from the knife prevented the wound from getting too much worse and helped slide it out easier." Will told them.

Leo winced. Makayla really didn't like knives.

"Is there any other way you can think of?" He asked his friend

"If there was I would have done it." The healer shrugged. "But if I just pull it out then it will tear the nerve and cut the vein, making it so much worse than it needs to be. That's the best way." Leo had his head in his hands again. "You're her brother, Leo, so I'm leaving it to you."

The fire-user shook his head slowly.

"Kayla hates knives or any kind of blade and has good reason to. But if this is the only way you can think of... then do it." He sighed very heavily.

Will nodded. He didn't want to hurt Makayla but she couldn't spend the rest of her life with an arrow shaft through her arm.

Will made sure Makayla was stable, then stood up to go get the things he needed. He went and got a thin knife and his medical bag. He cleaned the knife then handed it to Leo, who used his fire-abilities to heat the blade.

"When the arrow comes out the wound's still going to bleed and I'll have to stitch it closed." The young medic explained. "This is going to really hurt so you guys need to hold her down. She's gonna struggle but if she moves too much then it will get worse."

The two boys nodded slowly then stood and moved over to Makayla's sleeping form.

Leo handed the healer the glowing red knife then put his hands on her legs and Nico put his over her left arm and right shoulder above her wound. Will knelt back down next to the sleeping redhead and took a deep breath, giving Leo and Nico a nod. Positioning the hot blade under the arrowhead, Will pressed his teeth together and slowly slid it into her arm.

Makayla immediately started screaming.

Nico and Leo fought against her struggling but she was stronger than she looked. Will ground his teeth in concentration and slid the knife in as much as the arrow was before very slowly pulling both out. Makayla was still struggling.

"Don't let her move her arm!" Will ordered.

The two boys tightened their hold and somehow kept her down. Makayla managed to kick her leg up and hit Leo directly in his jaw. He staggered back for a quick second before jumping back to quickly pin his sister's legs.

The arrow finally slid out and her blood once again began to flow, dripping down her pale skin. Will quickly put the knife and arrow down and grabbed the bandages. He pressed a cloth against and the blood flow began to slow but it didn't stop.

Will quickly switched out the cloth with a new one then started stitching her arm closed. The wound wasn't that big so he finished quickly, though he had to stitch both sides of her arm. After, he wrapped a bandage around her, making sure it was tight enough to block the blood flow.

Makayla's screams had stopped and Will checked to see if he had missed anything.

Seeing that he hadn't, he sat back on his knees with a sigh. Makayla's struggling had lost enough strength so Will signaled to the two other boys and they let go of her. Leo placed a hand on his jaw where his sister had kneed him; it was already red and starting to swell a little.

"I'd almost forgotten how strong she was. She nailed me right in the jaw." He complained. Nico raised an eyebrow and Will chuckled.

"After all she's been through does that really surprise you?" Nico asked. Leo thought for a moment then shook his head.

"Nah, not really. Still hurt like the devil though."

Will grinned. He told the mechanic to ice his jaw then he and Nico returned to their cabins after Leo volunteered to stay with his sister.

After they left, Leo went to one of the bathrooms and washed the blood off his arms from when Makayla first collapsed. He dried off and got an ice pack, returning to the living-room.

Makayla was asleep on the couch with a troubled look on her face. She kept mumbling to herself but was too quiet for Leo to hear. So he laid on the couch opposite to the redhead, completely exhausted. He grabbed a nearby pillow and put it under his head, making it a bit more comfortable. He watched his sister for several minutes as he held the ice against his jaw. He sighed and decided to try to get at least a few hours of sleep.

Leo rolled onto his back and positioned the ice pack to stay on his jaw and closed his eyes, wishing there was _something_ he could do to help his little sister.

* * *

 **And that concludes the eighteenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice** , **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I already posted today but I don't really have anything else to do. Soooo I'm back!**

 **Also! More sibling-bonding-time and Jakayla shipping!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

"Leo? Hey, Leo? Get up. _WAKE UP, LEO!_ "

A pillow smacked Leo in his face started awake, jerking up.

"Wh-wha-! Who? Where?"

Leo blinked his eyes as he adjusted to the bright light. Looking around, he saw that he was still in the Big House on one of the couches. Judging from the light coming in from the window, he guessed the time to be around mid-day. Weird, he hadn't had any dreams last night.

"Wrong way, stupid. I'm over here."

Leo turned to see Makayla sitting up on the other couch, watching him with an amused look.

"I was starting to think you were either going deaf or you were dead." She smirked. Leo's heart nearly jumped from his chest. Did she remember him again?

"Do you know who I am?" He asked hopefully. Makayla rolled her purple and silver eyes.

"Well duh. You're my brother, Leo." She told him, her soprano voice amused.

The older Valdez couldn't stop himself as he threw his arms around his little sister, repeatedly kissing her forehead and hugging her tight.

"You remember who I am!" Leo whispered, pure joy in his voice. Makayla wrapped her good arm around him to return his hug and smiled

"Of course. You're my big brother! But what happ- hold on," She suddenly cut herself off when she caught sight of his neck. "Are those _bruises_ on your _neck?_ "

Leo held back a wince. He couldn't exactly tell her that she had turned into a mind-controlled zombie the night before and attacked him and Nico.

"Yeah. I uh- I got in a fight with one of the campers yesterday and got pretty banged up." He decided to lie.

Makayla frowned. What accident would cause bruises on his neck? And the skin around the bruises looked singed, shaped kind of like fingers...

"Anyway…" She held, deciding to question him later. "Will came over while you were still asleep. He rewrapped my arm and told me what happened after my flashback. He said I forgot who everyone was." Makayla paused and her voice went quiet. "Did… Did I really forget you, Leo?"

Her brother nodded sadly, moving to sit on the couch beside his little sister.

"Yeah. You forgot everything that happened since you came to Camp Half-Blood, including everyone you had met and everything about me being your brother. You were super blocked off and guarded and wouldn't talk to anyone. The only people you _did_ talk to was Will and Nico and Chiron." Leo explained. He couldn't stop his signature imp-grin from appearing on his lips, failing an innocent look. "Of course, you met Jake again. You two seemed pretty close, eh?"

Makayla turned away as her cheeks pinkened. _(A/N: Is pinkened a word?)_

"Shut up Leo. I can remember pieces of what had happened but not very much." She looked down at her injured arm, which Leo just then noticed was wrapped up in a sling. "Did I get shot?"

"Uh… sort of. Yes, you got hit in your arm by an arrow. But! There is a very good reason why." The Latino told her, rubbing his neck.

He winced when he touched his singed bruises, worried. As a fire-user, Leo was supposed to be unable to burn. Yet last night, Makayla did just that; she burned him. She was a fire-user too but she had sworn heavily that she would never again use her powers. Even if she did, Leo's would have countered them. So how did she burn him? And not just that but right before Chiron shot her, he and Nico were unable to use their powers. She had to have some kind of magic or special abilities.

"Why am I never wearing a shirt?" Makayla mumbled, bring him back to the present.

"You know... if we weren't related I would say I don't mind," Leo teased, wiggling his eyebrows. Makayla leaned over and smacked him.

"Ew! We are related though, so that's super gross." She told him, unconsciously wrapping her arm around her exposed stomach. Leo stuck his tongue out then stood up. He reached his arms up and stretched back.

"I'm hungry so I am going to go get food. Wanna come, Kaykay?" He asked, holding his hand out. Makayla accepted the gesture and her brother pulled her up to her feet, holding her steady as she swayed.

"Don't call me that." She told him when she gained her balance. Then she shrugged. "And I would but I'm not wearing any shoes or a shirt."

Leo looked down at the reminder. Her bandage from the night before had disappeared when she was controlled and Will had decided that her back was healed enough so he neglected to replace it, leaving her in just her cami-bra. She was still wearing her black shorts.

"Would you like me to carry you to the cabin to get your shoes?" He offered sarcastically. Makayla raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Nah, you'd probably drop me." She joked. Leo laughed.

"You can go barefoot like last night?"

He mentally cursed when Makayla gave him a confused look.

"What happened last night?" She demanded. "Will wouldn't tell me anything; he said it wasn't his place. I remember not wanting to go outside in the morning. Then I kinda remember meeting Jake and... and then nothing."

"I, uh... I'll tell you later. Okay? I promise." Leo told her, hoping to stall. Makayla raised an angled eyebrow.

"Well, I'm not wearing a shirt so I'm staying here." She stated. But Leo shook his head and threw an arm around her good shoulder.

"Come on. We are going outside." He told her. Makayla's eyes widen and she pulled away.

"No way! I can't go out there, Leo, not like this!" She immediately protested. Leo took hold of her good hand and tugged her toward the door.

"Nope! Come on, Kayla, no more hiding. I know why you want to but you can't hide forever." He told her firmly.

 _'Well, she sure did show herself last night...'_ He thought. But he didn't count that.

"Leo I _can't!_ Please don't make me go out there!" The scarred teen pleaded desperately. Leo stopped and stared directly into her silver eyes.

"No one knows how long you'll be here, Makayla. You could be at camp for months or even forever. Do you honestly expect to hide forever?" Makayla was silent; the fact that he said her full name told her how serious he was. "I know why you don't want anyone to see you. Hell, I don't even like seeing you like this! It hurts me. But you have to forget that for now." Leo paused for a moment. "How about this: you go outside right now without putting anything except your shoes on and if you still feel anxious and uncomfortable by dinner, I'll give you my hoodie and never bug you about this again."

Makayla said nothing as she thought.

"Promise?" She eventually asked, holding her pinky out just as they did as kids. Leo laughed and wrapped his pinky around hers.

"Pinky promise." He promised

Makayla bit her lip and took a deep breath as she slowly opened the door. She took a small step forward, almost like she was expecting something to blow up. Leo put his hand around her good shoulder and gave a reassuring smile.

"Start the timer," The redhead grumbled.

"C'mon. I'm still hungry and I want food." Her brother encouraged. Makayla took another step out of the doorway.

She hesitated when she reached the bottom step of the porch. She carefully placed one foot on the ground, expecting the rocky terrain to be painful, and was surprised when her feet didn't hurt. She continued forward until she was walking normally but winced when she jostled her bad arm.

"You okay? Need help?" Leo asked quickly, his brotherly-instincts kicking in.

"I just stumbled a little bit. I'm fine." His sister assured.

Looking around, Leo frowned when he didn't see anyone. He glanced at the sun's position and guessed around noon-ish, between 12:00 and 1:00.

Looking back at his sister and seeing all of her scars, Leo thought about what had happened last night and what he learned: the fact that Makayla could be controlled by The Serpents explained the whole glowing-snake-scar-trance but knowing that Ganabranth could do that to Makayla at any minute terrified him. He already lost his sister once, he didn't want to again.

Distracted by his thoughts, Leo hadn't been looking where his feet were and tripped when his foot hit a rock. He fell with a yelp and groaned when he landed flat on his stomach. He heard laughing and rolled over to see Makayla bent over.

"You- your voice!" She gasped between laughs. "Tha- that was the most- girly yelp- I have ever heard!"

Leo groaned he stood up and brushed the dirt off himself. His hands and knees were scraped up but thankfully weren't bleeding.

"Yeah, so funny." He rolled his eyes sarcastically. His sister's laughter died down but she still had a smile on her face. She shook her head, her long red hair swaying.

"Well with all the stuff that's happened lately, it seems like anything's funny now," She pointed out.

"So if I grab your sides and throw you into the lake-"

"-Will would murder you and then I would kill your corpse."

"I don't think Will would _murder_ anyone. Maybe make me talk in rhymes for a week but he isn't exactly the violent type." The young mechanic mused. Makayla pursed her lips.

"True. He's more of a laid-back-doctor, the kinda guy I can see relaxing on a beach chair with sunglasses and a lemonade."

Leo agreed with a laugh.

* * *

Pulling his sister along behind him, the two continued toward the cabins. They stopped at the cabin 13 (Hades') where her stuff was and Leo helped her slip her shoes on as she only had one working arm. Afterward, the two left to the pavilion but the redhead froze when it came into view.

It must have been a special lunch or something because _everyone_ was there.

"Never mind," She said in a small and shaky voice. "You can keep bugging me. I am not going over there."

Makayla barely let her brother or Nico or Will see her scarred body but everyone at Camp Half-Blood? Nope.

"Come on. You promised!" Her brother complained.

"I renounce my promise."

"C'mon!" Leo grabbed her wrist again. Ignoring her many protests, he continued walking. He slowed for a moment and wrapped an arm around his sister's good shoulder. "I need to ask Chiron about something then I'm gonna eat. You can go bug Nico or something. You're pretty much the only one who can do that anyway."

She normally would have smiled but she was too nervous now. She swallowed and took a deep breath, gnawing on her lip. Leo could see her that her hands were shaking. He felt bad for forcing his sister to show her scars but knew that she wouldn't be able to hide her body forever.

As the siblings got closer, Leo could see her getting even more nervous as her breathing and hands started shaking harder. They reached the pavilion but once they stepped onto the cement, like a switch, all talking and noise shut off.

Everybody stared at the scarred girl.

Ignoring the looks, Leo led his sister over to where the centaur was watching them. Makayla was dark red and her light silver eyes were locked on the floor, despising the moment more by the second. The only ones who weren't staring at her like she was an alien were Nico, Chiron, and Will (who flashed her a smile). Even the others of The Seven were still shocked by seeing her.

Leo reached Chiron and stopped, unconsciously holding his sister close.

"I want to know more about what you were talking about last night. I need to know as much as I can and that includes hearing everything you can tell me." Leo told the centaur. Chiron nodded slowly.

"Alright." He agreed, though a bit hesitantly.

"Whatever could happen to my sister, I want to know about." Leo's comment stole Makayla's attention like a slap, her head snapping to the two.

"Wait, what are you talking about? Something's going to happen to me?" She demanded, her nervousness growing even more.

 _"No,"_ Leo told her firmly, holding her tight. "I am not going to let anything happen to you, Kayla. I already lost mom, I won't lose my little sister too."

The closer campers began talking and whispering amongst themselves again when they heard Leo's words.

Leo told Makayla to go sit down and eat as he still wanted to talk to Chiron so, trying extremely hard to ignore the looks she received, Makayla moved over to where Nico was sitting alone.

"Hello again," She greeted the son of Hades while sitting down in front of him.

Nico looked up, a bit surprised by her presence. He glanced over her shoulder as she sat.

"You seem popular today." He joked. Makayla turned even darker red.

"If Leo hadn't promised to stop bugging me about showing me, I would have put on a sweatshirt and some actual pants long ago." She admitted.

Nico frowned, thinking of everything that happened the night before: Makayla had blown apart his door (the other Hephaestus kids already made him a new one), thrown him around like a doll, moved dozens of yards in seconds, made glowing silver knives out of nothing, and choked him in the air like he was 2 pounds. She had to have _some_ kind of magic or special powers besides her fire abilities.

Fingers snapped in front of Nico's face, bringing him back to the present time.

"And you said I zone out." She joked. Then she frowned as she saw the marks on his neck. "Wait, you have bruises on your neck just like Leo does. Did you two get into a fight or something?"

"Do you remember anything that happened last night?" Nico asked her in response.

"Last night? No. All I know is I got shot in my arm and now it's like this." Makayla told him with a frown, holding up her splinted arm. He nodded slowly. He hadn't expected her to.

"Do you _know_ what happened?"

"No. Leo and Will had jumped around that topic, not saying anything. Nico, what happened last night? No one will tell me anything!" Makayla demanded. Nico ran a hand through his dark hair, cursing her stubbornness.

"Would you be angry if I told you that I'm not allowed to say?" He tried to worm his way out.

Looking behind her, the son of Hades could see the hundreds of campers looking over (and saw Leo walking back over to his table though he too kept glancing at Makayla). She had her open back turned so the worst of her scars were visible.

Those who witnessed the events from the night before were probably wondering what had happened. The Snake Scar was the most obvious mark she had and judging from wary and nervous looks she was getting, those who saw her were probably wondering if she was going to start glowing again.

Makayla pursed her lips as she considered Nico's question.

"I'd be upset, seeing how you'd clearly be lying to me, but I wouldn't be angry." She answered.

Nico sighed quietly.

"Sometimes I wonder if you could read minds," He admitted as he took a bite of his lunch.

"Who knows? Maybe I can." The redhead winked.

"Then what am I thinking of?" Nico challenged.

"From the look on your face, I would say a person?" Makayla guessed as the signature Valdez-Imp-Grin began to show. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"That's vague."

"I'm guessing an opposite to your gloomy, dark nature?"

"Also vague."

"Probably someone you consider a friend?"

"Not so vague but still."

"Will." Makayla stated with a smirk. Nico frowned.

"What?" He wondered, not understanding.

"Will Solace. 'Doctor guy, 'Son of Apollo', 'Blond Medic'." Makayla easily and casually listed off Will's nicknames. "It's written all over your face. That and you keep quickly glancing over my left shoulder, which _just so happens_ to be in the direction of the Apollo table."

Nico glanced up to the redhead to see that she was watching him with an amused expression. She then lowered her voice.

"I know you like Will, Nico. Just admit it." She told him slyly. Nico tried to hide his shocked look.

"What? Even _if_ I did, how would you know?" He demanded.

"Well besides the fact that you basically just said so, it's pretty obvious." Makayla crossed her arms, leaning back with that damned smirk. "You're constantly glancing at each other, you both get this little blush whenever you bump or touch, you're always secretly worried him, you seem so much more comfortable and relaxed with him, etcetera etcetera. You just have to look for the signs."

Nico could only stare. Was he that obvious? Then something she said stuck out.

"Wait, you said both. Does... does he likes me?" He asked, almost nervous to hear the answer. The redhead smirked.

She opened her mouth to answer but stopped when someone suddenly appeared behind her, wrapping their arms around her and putting their chin on her head. They were trying to startle her but Makayla didn't blink.

Nico wanted to run the person through with his sword, their appearance causing Makayla not to answer, but he relaxed a little when he saw who it was.

"Hello, you two." Jakob greeted with his father's blinding smile. Makayla smiled.

"Hello, Jakob." She replied. "Long time no see."

"Not real- wait, do you remember me?" The blond asked in hopeful surprise, turning to see her face. Makayla nodded and he smiled and kissed her cheek before returning to his previous position. "How did you know it was me?"

The redhead shrugged, making Jakob's chin move up and down.

"Because you're the only one who'd do this. And I know your voice." She answered.

"True. Hey Nico!" He greeted.

There were only a few people at Camp Half-Blood that Nico would spend time with if invited and Jakob was somewhere on that list. He guessed it was because, unlike others, Jakob was comfortable and chill around him; he wasn't nervous or awkward. The blue-eyed teen didn't treat him like he was a stranger but he also wasn't clingy or constantly there. He treated the son of Hades like a true friend.

"Hey." Nico returned the greeting as he flashed a quick smile.

"So what' cha two doin'?" The blond asked, the sun making his platinum hair look white. Makayla shrugged again.

"Just talking about Nico's secret love life." She said casually with a grin. Jakob's mouth formed an 'O' at her words.

"Oooh! Does the feared Ghost King have a crush?" Jakob teased. Nico glared but there was the tiniest bit of pink visible on his cheeks.

"If it's so obvious to see who I like, Makayla, then you two are like a foghorn," Nico told them, avoiding the question. Jakob blushed from his place still atop Makayla's head but the redhead just raised an eyebrow.

"I would think so. Besides, this dofus was brave and actually admitted he liked me. You two hop around like you're standing on hot coals."

Nico frowned.

"Maybe. But it's a bit harder for me than it is for you." He defended.

"Though that may be true, it doesn't mean you can't try." Makayla encouraged. "Besides, they're not going to wait for you forever."

"You really irritate me sometimes, you know that?" The son of Hades sighed. Makayla winked.

"Yeah, I know. But you know I'm right and you love me anyway." She giggled. Jakob was frowning in confusion.

"Wait, who are you two talking about?" He seemed lost, not realizing that the two were talking about his half-brother.

Makayla laughed and Nico again allowed a small smile. He then realized that the blond hadn't said anything about Makayla's scars yet. He had to have noticed and Nico wondered why. The redhead paused, biting her lip nervously.

"Hey Nico? Even though I have my memories back now... can I still stay with you for a little longer? I really don't want to have to live with the idiot twins." He asked hesitantly. Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Did you think I was going to kick you out just because you're not 'Miss. Oblivious' anymore?" He wondered.

Makayla stuck her tongue out but grinned and thanked him. Then she noticed that the campers were beginning to leave and guessed lunch was over.

"Time to go?" She wondered.

"If you want. Or you can stay here. I'll see you two later." Nico got up and left with a simple goodbye.

"Your chin is starting to hurt my head," Makayla complained to Jakob, who still had his chin on her head and arms around her.

Jakob laughed at her complaining but stood up. He unwrapped his arms from around her and helped her stand so she wouldn't accidentally bump her arm.

Makayla hated making that deal with Leo. She wanted to melt into the dirt and turn to dust when she felt all those eyes on her. That was exactly why she didn't go outside showing her scars: she got stared at! She acted like nothing was bothering her when she was panicking inside. Her marks were a part of her that she hated and never wanted to live with. Yet there she was.

After Makayla stood, Jakob casually slipped his hand into hers.

"I have a free day today, so what do you want to do?" He wondered. Makayla gave a one-shouldered shrug.

"I dunno. I'm still not allowed to train, thanks to your brother, so whatever." She answered.

So the two found themselves back at the beach of Long Island Sound. Jakob laying on the sand while propped up by his elbows and Makayla was leaning against his chest.

"Ever wonder why we always end up here?" Jakob asked out of nowhere.

"The thought crossed my mind. This is like, our spot I guess." Makayla told him, adjusting her sling.

"I guess. It seems like Percy and Annabeth's spot is underwater in a giant air bubble."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah! I was swimming once and I saw them underwater."

"I can see them doing that." She giggled.

"You've met them?" Jakob seemed a little surprised. Makayla nodded.

"Yep. I did a 'story time' with them and Leo and some others."

"What was the story about?"

"Me," Makayla replied vaguely, her smile fading. Jakob raised one of his eyebrows, forgetting that she was facing away from him and couldn't see him.

"What about you?" He urged.

"Stuff."

Jakob rolled his ocean-blue eyes. He hated those kinds of answers.

"What stuff about you did you talk about?"

"Um... It was kind of like a mini version of my life story."

"You told them how you got your scars," Jakob stated. It wasn't a question. Makayla completely froze.

"How did you know that?" She demanded, voice shaky. Jakob sighed and sat up.

"Makayla, I'm not blind. I don't know how you got all those marks, and I'm not sure if I want to know, but it's obvious. There are hundreds of scars all over your body." He told her. Makayla's breathing had sped up now and her hands were beginning to shake. The blond wrapped his arms around her, feeling guilty. "I'm sorry if I made you upset."

Makayla shook her head.

"I- It's not you. It's remembering what happened." She explained.

"What happened?" Jakob asked her, talking softly into her ear.

"I- I... The same people who cut my face." She said softly, her voice barely a whisper. "They hurt me so many times and didn't stop."

Jakob held her tighter, pulling her closer against his chest.

"I'm so sorry MyKayla. I didn't mean to make you upset." He apologized, still whispering in her ear, running a hand through her wavy hair. Jakob had learned that the action helped to calm the redhead.

"It-it's okay," She assured. Then a frown came to her pink lips. "Wait, what did you call me?"

"MyKayla," Jakob repeated happily with his father's signature blinding smile. "It's like Makayla but with My instead of Ma cuz I now claim you as mine."

Makayla was silent for a short moment before a smile tugged at her mouth.

"I think I'll be okay with that." She decided.

Jakob turned her slightly and leaned down to gently press his lips against hers. He then moved back to his previous position, hands laced behind his head on the sand. Makayla leaned against him, putting her head on his chest, and he wrapped an arm around her torso. She could hear Jakob's heartbeat beneath her ear. There was something calming listening to it...

She smiled and closed her eyes.

* * *

 **And that concludes the nineteenth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice** , **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **It's me again!**

 **... Again**

 **This one's kinda just a bunch of mushy-gushy to make the story feel longer and introduce a new human-person-character**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Real quick, Jakob was also told about Makayla's parentage (well, he guessed it) so now the ones who know about her are The Seven, Will, Chiron, and him. Nico doesn't know her parentage, just her story about being captured and poisoned by Ganabranth._

* * *

It was just after dinner that the new camper arrived.

Sitting on the beach of Long Island Sound, Makayla tried to calm her anxious nerves. She kept getting an unnerving feeling that something was going to happen. She felt like it was going to be big and important but bad or good, she wasn't sure. She was getting anxious so she went over to the beach to calm herself while Jakob showered, having been pushed into the water.

She sat on the sand with her legs out in front of her, head in her hands. Even though she was the daughter of the god of fire, Makayla had always enjoyed the water. It was calming to watch the wind blow across the surface. It reminded the redhead kind of like a heartbeat, pushing ripples evenly.

There were footsteps on the sand behind her and she turned her head to see a familiar blond walking over.

"Hi." She greeted softly, turning back to the water. Jakob sat on the sand beside her, returning the greeting. She scooted closer and leaned her head on his shoulder as his arm went around her, holding her close.

"Might sound cheesy... but you look amazing," Jakob told her. Makayla gave a quiet chuckle.

"Thanks. You look great too."

For a good hour, the two stayed on the sandy beach; they just watched the waves. They didn't say much but let their minds drift as they held each other close. When they finally decided they should go, it was getting close to getting dark. So they reluctantly got up.

Jakob and Makayla were walking back into Camp Half-Blood when they saw a group of people forming. Curious, the two walked over to see what it was. It was a new camper.

Her head was turned but Makayla saw she had very curly chocolate-brown hair that reached just above her shoulders. She was short, about four-foot-eleven, with very dark skin. The girl looked familiar… When she turned Makayla saw who it was and gasped rather loudly, her free hand going to her mouth.

It was Ashlyn Maríco, her childhood best friend and almost-adoptive sister!

"Ashlyn?!" She gasp-shouted with wide eyes.

The girl turned and Makayla saw a pair of dark brown eyes catch her light purple. Ashlyn gasped and tears came when she saw the redhead. Forgetting all the other campers around her, she ran over to Makayla and practically jumped onto her.

"OH MY GOD! _Makayla!_ It- how- wha- b-but _how?!_ I haven't seen you in so long how are you why are you here what are you doing are you okay-?" Ashlyn stuttered in her impossible speed-talk.

"I should be asking you that, Ash! You're a demigod too? I thought Megan and Troy were your parents?" Makayla laughed, returning her friend's bone-crushing hug.

"I didn't even know!" Her friend exclaimed. "And I thought so too but apparently only dad is my birth parent. He told me he married Megan when I was a couple of months old. He didn't say who my real mom was though, which was annoying, but I still call Megan my mom." Ashlyn explained. Then she laughed and hugged her friend again. "You have no idea how much we've missed you, Makayla! Mom and dad were so worried about you! I was so worried about you-! Wait, did you say 'too'? Are- are you a half-blood?"

Makayla bit her lip, glancing at the crowd of campers around them from the corner of her purple eye.

"I'll explain later. But I don't- I still can't believe you're actually here!" She laughed. She hugged Ashlyn again but gasped when she squeezed her arm. Ashlyn looked down, her just now noticing Makayla's arm and scars.

"OH MY GOD! Are you alright?! What happened?" She almost shouted, brown eyes wide.

"I got shot," Makayla told her, not thinking what her reaction would be.

"YOU WERE _WHAT?!"_ Ashlyn screeched. Makayla winced, remembering how protective Ashlyn can get …and loud. She once again bit her lip, nodding slowly.

"Uh, sort of. Yes, I got hit in my arm by an arrow. But! There is a very good reason why." She paused, realizing that was almost exactly what Leo had told her.

"There better be." Ashlyn crossed her arms. "And you still have to explain why you left."

"Ashlyn?"

The two girls turned to see Leo walking over. He was clearly shocked to see his and his sister's childhood friend.

"Leo!" Ashlyn ran over and threw her dark arms around his neck as she jumped into his embrace.

"Ashlyn! Wh- What the hell? Why are you here?" Leo asked, confused but happy.

"Because mom isn't my real mom," Their friend told him simply. Then she took a step back and looked at him for a moment before raising her hand and smacking Lehimo across the face.

Leo stumbled to the side due to the strength of the slap.

"OW!" He exclaimed, hand on his cheek. A pink handprint was already becoming clear.

"That was for leaving!" Ashlyn frowned.

"I guess I deserved that," Leo reluctantly admitted. Then Ashlyn back-handed him.

"That was for not coming back for her!"

"Are you going to slap me again?" He asked skeptically. She did.

"And that was not saying anything!" For a moment Leo said nothing. Then a grin broke out across his face.

"I missed you, Ashlyn." He laughed. Ashlyn hugged him again.

"I missed you too," She agreed. Leo returned her hug. "...Buuut not as much as I missed Makayla."

The older Valdez rolled his brown eyes.

"Whatever, it's good to see you. Maybe now Kayla can hang out with someone other than that Jakob guy." He said with his signature imp grin.

Ashlyn stepped back, surprised. Then she nudged Makayla with her elbow.

"Ooh! Who's Jakob?" She teased playfully. The small group of campers that had formed was dispersing, leaving the four and only several others.

"Just a guy I met here." Makayla failed to hide a blush.

"'Just a guy you met?!'" Jakob exclaimed dramatically coming up behind them. The action startled Ashlyn and Leo but Makayla was used to it.

"Is that how you see me?" He pouted cutely.

"If I say anything else Ashlyn will never shut up," Makayla explained.

"Not true!" Ashlyn then pouted.

"Yeah, it is." Leo inputted. "Whenever Makayla or I liked someone as kids, you'd never shut up about it." Ashlyn crossed her arms.

"Okay fine. But do you like Jakob?" Makayla raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I would hope so." Jakob butted in before she could say anything. "After all, what was it you said earlier? 'You look at your _girlfriend's_ face when you're bored?'" Ashlyn and Leo's eyes widened a bit. Makayla blushed but rolled her eyes.

"No, I said 'So you stare at your girlfriend's face while she sleeps because you're bored?'"

"Wait, you were staring at Makayla when she was asleep?" Ashlyn asked, missing the point. Leo was frowning slightly, a bit upset with just now hearing that.

"Uh... Sort of?" Jakob admitted a little sheepishly.

"Talk about creepy!"

Makayla laughed.

 **Ω Ω Ω**

"Makayla! Wait up!"

It had been a week since Ashlyn had arrived at Camp Half-Blood and ever since she and Makayla had been "reunited", as some campers say, they had become like magnets; they were nearly inseparable. The two were almost always together. Ashlyn still trained but she insisted Makayla came with her or at least walked to her class as the redhead was still not allowed to train.

Ashlyn and Makayla were heading to the kitchens to find something to munch on, their arms looped together as they did as kids. Pressed against Ashlyn's dark skin, Makayla looked as pale as a marshmallow.

Thanks to her quick healing, her left arm was now out of the sling after a rather long check from Will Solace though she still had it wrapped. The four gashes from the Show Creature on her back were finally healed so Will had removed her stitches. She had her hoodie around her waist, the temperature too hot to keep it on. After Leo had forced her to show Camp Half-Blood her scars and mars, she had begun to relax ever-so-slightly, wearing shirts with short sleeves or shorts instead of pants.

The two girls had been debating why clouds were white when it was sunny out but were dark during storms while they walked. They decided on the fact that clouds were magic. They heard the call and turned to see a tall son of Apollo running closer.

"Makayla, can I- talk to you." Jakob panted.

"Uh… sure, I guess." Makayla agreed, a little confused by his antics but also surprised to see him.

Jakob had been avoiding her for the past few days and she was starting to worry that she had done something to ruin the relationship they had starting. She turned back at Ashlyn. "You go on ahead."

"Okay!"

The dark-skinned girl continued to the pavilion, leaving the redhead with Jakob.

"It's nice to see you." She said pointedly. Jakob winced.

"I'm sorry for not talking to you for so long." He apologized.

"Did I do something wrong? Is that why you're avoiding me?"

"No, no you didn't do anything. It's just... never mind."

"Okay... What did you want to talk about?"

"Uh, can you come with me for a minute?" He asked a little awkwardly while holding out his hand. Makayla raised an eyebrow but took his hand anyway. While he and Makayla walked, Jakob tried to think of what to say without sounding like an idiot.

 _'What if I say something wrong? Or what if I do something and embarrass myself?'_ He thought to himself.

 _'Shut up! You'll be fine.'_ Another part of him argued.

 _'But if I phrase even the smallest word wrong, she could totally reject me.'_

 _'SHUT UP!'_

After leading Makayla to the beach, Jakob brought her to their favorite spot and took a deep breath before turning to his girlfriend. Her swirling purple and silver eyes held a confused look.

"Jake, are you okay?" She asked. "Your face is turning red and you look nervous."

The blond nodded slowly.

"Uh, Makayla I- I need to tell you something." He began.

"You said that earlier." She reminded him.

"What? Oh, yeah I did. Um, I- I've wanted to tell you something for a while... I just would always find a way to stall because my words never wanted to come out to you." The redhead looked confused but she didn't say anything. "But, after psyching myself out over and over... I realized I needed to stop trying to find a way _out_ and just go _in."_

"You're not making any sense," Makayla told him, shaking her head.

"I- I know. I'm just... I'm really nervous right now and I'm trying not to run off like a scared kid." Jakob admitted while rubbing his neck.

Still confused, Makayla stepped forward and slipped both her hands into his. Their fingers interlocked out of habit and Jakob's blue eyes met hers.

"Jake, you know you could tell me anything," She said in a softer voice. "You could tell me that you're secretly a pregnant miniature turtle who's gay and I wouldn't care." Jakob chuckled.

 _'But what if this is too fast? What if she leaves me?'_

He kicked those thoughts from his head. He pulled away from her enough to look at her straight in her eyes.

"Kayla... I've been avoiding you for the past few days." He admitted.

"I noticed. Is something wrong?" She wondered.

"No. But I- I realized something and I felt scared and I guess I thought that not being around you would change my realization. But… I can't stand being away from you."

"Jakob you're talking in riddles!" Makayla said in exasperation. "I can barely understand a thing you're saying-"

Jakob cut her off by grabbing her waist and pulling her close until his lips slammed against hers. She was still confused but Makayla returned the kiss, still so soft and sweet. It was a long moment before he pulled back.

"Makayla Valdez, I've finally realized and accepted how in love with you I am," Jakob finally confessed.

Makayla actually stumbled back a little in surprise. Yes, they both liked each other; they would say that all the time. That's the first time either of them had said it.

"What?" She stuttered with wide eyes. She had heard what he said but she needed to make sure. Jakob didn't waver.

"Makayla, I am totally in love with you. I love you but it's driving me nearly crazy." He told her.

"Why?" Makayla's voice could barely be heard. It was also disappointed though.

"Because I- I've never felt this way before. Since I met you I've had this feeling and now I know that it's love because everything about me has changed since we've met: I do things differently, I see things I didn't before, I feel different, whenever you're around me... Makayla, I can't think straight. My mind shuts down and I mess up even more than I normally do. I can't get you out of my head! Every second of every day I'm thinking about you. When you touch me I swear it's like I'm electrocuted. My whole body shuts down and I can barely function."

Jakob's confessions spilled from his lips as if a dam had broken.

"It's only been a few weeks but already you mean so much to me, Makayla. And that's what drives me crazy! We're demigods; there's always danger out there. If I lost you I don't know what I would do. I'd be broken. And I'm so sorry if you think I'm going too fast or if I'm scaring you but I just can't- I can't stop thinking about you. I love you."

Makayla was crying.

Several silent tears were sliding down her cheeks. At first, she wasn't sure if Jakob was just being dramatic or not but once she looked into those ocean blue eyes… She knew he was telling the truth.

She cupped his cheeks and Jakob put one of his hands on her own. She still had tears on her cheeks but she didn't care. She just kissed him.

She moved to her tip-toes and pressed her lips against Jakob's. Their lips melded together perfectly and they both just wanted to stay frozen at that moment where everything was perfect. Her arms moved around his neck, pulling him down and closer to her. She ran her fingers through her boyfriend's blonde hair, completely absorbed by him.

Her mind was melting as she felt the son of Apollo put his hands on her waist and pulled her close. Jakob slowly slid his hands down Makayla's sides to the bottom of her shirt, causing her breathing to hitch, but he stopped there and his hands instead moved to her hips.

They wanted to stay in that moment forever but eventually they had to pull back to breathe. Makayla pulled away, already missing him, and pressed her forehead against his. His strong arms were wrapped around her, holding her body close to his. When Makayla opened her eyes she saw a smile on Jakob's lips.

"I was expecting a totally different reaction. But I really do love you, Mykayla, and I don't think I'll stop." He confessed. A grin came to his lips. "Even if I'm secretly a gay pregnant turtle."

Makayla laughed. She had never been much of an emotional person but now...

"Jake- Jake I- I-"

Her voice broke. She was starting to doubt herself. How did Jakob say that? This was hard! Jakob pulled her closer.

"You can tell me anything." He whispered, sending a shiver down the redhead's spine, hoping that she was going to say what he was thought she would. She took a deep breath.

"I... Jake, I lov-"

"MAKAYLA?!" A voice calling for her cut Makayla off. A moment later Ashlyn appeared. "There you are. Chiron and Leo are looking for-"

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the two. She sort of just stared, mouth still half-open.

Makayla sighed and reluctantly stepped back. Said blond unwrapped his hands from around her waist, sliding into her hands. They didn't jump back like they were embarrassed but just so they weren't so close to each other.

"Yeah?" Makayla sighed her hands in Jakob's.

"Uhhh..." Ashlyn blinked. "Ch- Chiron and Leo are looking for you. They said it was really important... Did I interrupt something?"

"I'm sorry. I'll tell you later though. I promise." Makayla told Jakob softly.

Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips against his for a small second then pulled away then stepped back and moved over to Ashlyn, her hands slowly slipping from Jakob's.

He watched her leave dejectedly. Once they were from earshot, he smacked his face.

"Ugh! I'm so _stupid!"_ He exclaimed angrily as he collapsed onto his back on the sand. "Of _course_ she won't love me. Why did I ever think she would? She's practically a _god_ and I'm just a _stupid_ Apollo boy who messes everything up." Jakob smacked his head again and covered his eyes with his arm, blocking out the sun, groaning and wishing he could go back in time.

Unknowing to him, Makayla was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-first chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice** , **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Woohoo! Makayla finally gets to learn what's going on with her!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla walked off with Ashlyn and smacked her face.

"I'm so _stupid!"_ She muttered miserably. "How could I have just stood there and not said anything?! And after all that…?!"

"Are you ok?" Ashlyn asked, worry in her brown eyes. "You're muttering again."

"I'm fine." The redhead told her best friend with a sigh. "Just stupid."

 _"Did_ I interrupt something back there? Cuz if you want to go back, I can tell-"

"It's fine, Ash. Really." Makayla interrupted. "I just... lead the way."

Ashlyn nodded slowly, her dark arm looping around hers. She then led Makayla over to the Big House where Chiron and Leo were talking on the veranda. Leo was pacing with a hand in his curly hair. It looked more like he was arguing.

"- deserves to know." Makayla heard Chiron reasonably say as she and Ashlyn got closer. It sounded like he was trying to calm Leo down.

"I know that but if we tell her now then she'll just start panicking and worrying and that'll only make things worse." The fire-user argued.

"Were you planning to keep it a secret?"

"Well, no, but I just- I don't think that now is a good time to tell her-" Leo stopped and he and Chiron saw Makayla nearing. The redhead frowned. Were they talking about her? What would she be worried about?

"Uh, Ash said you wanted to talk to me?" She asked. The centaur nodded slowly.

"Yes, my dear. I am afraid your brother and I have neglected to tell you some things." He confessed.

"I thought we agreed on no lies or secrets?" Makayla accused as she turned towards her brother and crossed her scarred arms. He looked down in shame, no longer pacing.

"I know and we did. I just- I really didn't want to tell you because I know that you're gonna hate it and you'll freak out and get mad at me. I was just hoping that you wouldn't have to hear it." He told her. Makayla raised an eyebrow.

"What's so bad that you had to keep it a secret from your own sister?"

"Come inside, and we will tell you," Chiron told her. He instructed Ashlyn to go back to her training and, with a smile to Makayla, she left. The redhead followed Leo and Chiron inside and sat and faced the two.

"Soooo..." She held after several minutes of silence.

"Like Chiron said, we've been keeping a secret from you." Leo reluctantly confessed, still standing as he fiddled with wires from his toolbelt. It's just that… something you deserve to know and something I shouldn't have kept from you."

He looked at Chiron, clearly asking him to say instead.

"Makayla, my dear. Do you know who it was who had captured you those months ago?" The centaur began by asking.

Makayla closed her eyes for a moment and pressed her lips together. So that's what they want to talk about.

"Uh, yeah. He was the leader of… of that gang-group. His name was G- Gan-Ganabranth." She shivered; she hated even hearing his name. Chiron nodded slowly.

"Yes. He is the man who marked you, is he not?" He clarified. Makayla nodded. "Well, there were more people than just himself where you were kept. Gan- that man," he corrected himself, seeing how sensitive she was to his name "Is the leader of an organization known as The Serpents."

Makayla's eyes widened a little bit and she looked down at her pale arms, seeing the swirling snake.

"Who're they?" She wondered.

"They are a huge and very powerful group," Chiron told the redhead, quoting what he had told Leo and Nico and Will. "Some of the members are rouge demigods, others are strong mortals. That man is their leader but he has not been heard from or seen for many, many years. That is what has me worried. The group is very powerful with a lot of abilities, allies, and power."

"So I was kidnapped by a really powerful gang?" Makayla summarized. Chiron nodded. "But how would that make me freak out?"

The old centaur felt his heart ache. She already had a lot of things to worry about in her life.

"Uh, sorry! That was it! I guess I over expected your reaction! Nothing else." Leo announced, trying to bluff his way out. Makayla stared at him blankly.

 _"Se sienta y me dice la verdad, Leo._ What were you really going to say?" She demanded.  
 _(sit down and tell me the truth, Leo)_

Leo sighed heavily and dropped his gaze.

"If I tell you, you're going to get mad and scared. Kayla, you do not want to know."

Makayla could tell that her brother was telling the truth but if it was that bad of a secret and was about her then she wanted to know.

"What is it?" She asked Chiron, knowing that she wouldn't get anywhere with her brother.

"I will agree with Leo that you will not like it. But if you wish to know..." The old centaur paused before continuing. "Before the Serpents went inactive, they would take three people twice a year. Some would join willingly and others by force; those forced would be branded with their symbol that symbol. The mark could be a burned brand, tattooed as an image… or cut to leave a scar. Once marked, those people are forever marked as a permanent member and are unable to leave the group."

The realization of what Chiron was saying was slowly starting to appear in Makayla's silver eyes alongside her fear. He continued.

"The Serpents have full knowledge where every member is and what they are doing. The ones marked... Once marked, that person is then able to be controlled by their leader. As of this time… their leader happens to be the man who marked you."

Makayla's eyes widened and her breathing hitched, heart skipping several beats. Her light silver eyes dropped to the large Snake Scar in horror.

"Wh-what? I- Gan... He can- he can control me? He knows where I am?" She choked out in a stutter, tears forming. Her fear was clear in her voice and eyes. Chiron nodded solemnly; he hated having to tell Makayla but she needed to know the danger she could be in.

"Why didn't you tell me this before, Leo?!" Makayla exclaimed. She jumped to her feet. Anger was now evident in her voice despite the tears in her eyes. Leo was sitting with his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, looking down. He hadn't said anything. "I'm your sister! Did you think you were protecting me?! That ignoring it would make it go away?! Did you think I would try to do something about it?! Well, I _can't_ and you know why? BECAUSE HE CARVED A F**KING SCAR ON MY BODY THAT LETS HIM _CONTROL_ ME!" Her eyes were black from anger. "Yes I'm freaking out and yes I'm worried but I'm also _pissed_ at you because my own brother decided not to tell me pretty much the most important thing of my _entire life!_ "

Makayla still had tears on her cheeks but she turned and stormed out of the Big House. Leo sighed again. He lifted his head and Chiron could see that his brown eyes were red despite there being no trace of tears.

"That went well." He muttered sourly. "I even got the reaction I was expecting. But now she's mad at me and it's gonna be a while before she can forgive me over something like this."

"Makayla is in shock and scared," Chiron told the curly-haired mechanic. "You would be too in her position. She should be given space and time for the news to settle. After what she has gone through, I did not expect her to simply brush that away."

Leo nodded slowly. He was right; that was pretty shocking and scary news.

"I just feel like I messed everything up with her. Again. But this time I'm not sure she'll be so fast to forgive me," He muttered. He sighed and put his head back in his hands.

* * *

Makayla stormed out of The Big House.

She was furious; she was furious at Ganabranth, at herself, at Leo. How could he not tell her that she could be controlled by Ganabranth, that he knew her location? That was big news! Her fists clenched as she tried to hold back the tears from her fear, her heart started beating faster.

Suddenly a wave of pain washed over her, a pain that was all too familiar.

Cyanide poison

Makayla's knees buckled and she fell to the ground to her hands and knees with a scream of pain. Looking at her arms she saw her Snake Scar flicker with silver light and with each flicker, her eyesight went black. Another wave of the pain from the poison washed over her.

She barely felt as her tears fell down her cheeks. The scar on her arms was flickering still, the glowing light shining brighter and longer each time, her eyesight flashing from black to normal. She faintly heard someone running over to her, two sets of feet, but the tears and the darkness blocked her vision. Memories of her time with Ganabranth flashed through her mind and she cried.

She wished this would stop. Not just the pain from the poison but everything; the running, the pain, the people staring at her, Ganabranth's chasing her, all the horrible memories and nightmares... She just wanted some peace in her life and not have to deal with any of it.

"Makayla! Makayla, what's going on?"

She faintly heard a voice calling but she was unable to identify the voice. She tried to respond but her mouth and voice wouldn't listen. Through her tears and the flickering dark, Makayla could see that her arms were still glowing. Another wave of pain hit her and she screamed again, the pain unbearable. She heard a weird voice talking and her arms glowed really bright.

Then all she saw was black.

Ω Ω Ω

Leo was sitting with his head in his hands, still hating himself, when he heard the scream.

He automatically recognized his sister's voice so he leaped to his feet and bolted out the door. He saw Makayla on her hands and knees and he ran over. But he skidded to a stop to kneel next to her and his brown eyes widened and he stumbled back when he saw her Snake Scar was glowing again, her eyes flashing between the glowing silver and normal purple.

"Makayla? Makayla are you okay!?" He exclaimed. Her body was shaking as if she was being racked with pain.

Then he realized what was going on. Makayla's scars were glowing which meant she was going to end up as a possessed zombie all over again; a super powerful and really strong zombie but a zombie nonetheless. Ganabranth was trying to control her again, trying to make her go back to him. Leo wanted to reach out and help her but the fading bruises on his neck reminded him of what happened last time he touched her when she was glowing.

"What the problem now?" Will seemingly appeared next to Leo and the Latino started. He had a suspicion of what was happening and hoped he was wrong.

"Go get your cure." He told the healer. Will looked confused.

"My what?" He asked.

"The cure for Makayla's poison! Go get it!"

Will shook his head, looking worried.

"Leo, I told you; it might not work. It might _kill_ her instead."

"That's a big might that I'm willing to take!" Leo exclaimed, pushing Will. "The poison is taking effect _now._ That Gana-guy is using her being weakened to control her and if we don't do something _right now_ then Makayla will go right back to him! The maybe-cure is a risk we're gonna have to deal with."

Will took a breath and nodded before running off.

Leo turned his attention back to his sister. Then he had a horrible thought: what if he let her go? If he let Makayla leave, she might lead him directly to Ganabranth and his hideout. Then he could get rid of that horrible man and free his sister.

The small number of demigods around them were taking notice of what was happening but before Leo could do anything, Makayla froze. Her body stopped shaking and her tears froze on her cheeks. Her body still had its glow but it stopped it's flickering. Her eyes slowly started shining brighter until they were glowing silver again and Leo's heart stopped.

Makayla was gone.

Now there was only Ganabranth's puppet. Her head turned to look at Leo. She blinked once and like a switch, every demigod in Camp Half-Blood collapsed to the ground deep asleep. Leo looked around in shock then back to Makayla. Did she do that?!

 _"I would say it's good to see you again, Leo Valdez, but that would be a lie."_

Makayla's voice once again sounded like the snake. Then she gasped, the tears falling again. Her glowing scars flickered as another wave of pain washed over her. Her skin continued to flicker. She doubled over as a scream of pain slipped from her lips and her glow flickered. Forgetting what happened last time, Leo reached out and grabbed his sister's shoulder. Her head snapped to him and raised her hand with her palm facing towards him. Leo's eyes widened as the snake's head glowed brighter and he braced himself to be blown back again. But Makayla gritted her teeth and lowered her hand the smallest bit, closing her eyes tight. She gasped as the poison took effect again.

 _"Why fight me?"_ The snake voice asked through Makayla. It sounded like it was talking to her though. _"It's pointless. You know you'll never win."_

"I- might- not- win... but I sure- hell- not lose." Makayla gasped, replying through gritted teeth.

Leo's brown eyes widened when she sounded like herself. The glow started flickering again and he realized with a jolt that Makayla was aware of what was happening and was fighting against the Snake. Not able to do anything, watched helplessly as his sister fought with herself.

 _"Everything you love is lost; you have nothing to fight for."_

"I have- more- you," Makayla muttered.

 _"This war is coming and you can't stop it, Makayla."_ The snake-voice sounded like it was getting annoyed.

"I don't have to stop a war. I just have... stop... you..." Makayla gritted her teeth but the Cyanide hit her again and she screamed.

 _"YOU WILL FAIL!"_ The snake screeched. Makayla screamed one last time, worse than any other, and collapsed flat onto her stomach. Then her Snake Scar glowed brightly and the flickering stopped, her eyes turning silver. Leo's heart broke.

Makayla had lost.

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-second chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Two chapters posted in, like... 5 minutes. Woo! I'm on a roll!**

 **except this chapter is again very short.**

 **Also, I got Grammarly a while back and it is _super_ helpful. I have so many mistakes that I didn't see. Plus it does this awesome thing where it suggests words you could use instead of the ones you already have. It's totally awesome and totally helpful. Although it does seem to have this thing for adding commas _everywhere_ , it's really cool. **

**I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla had lost.

The Snake had attacked her while she was in a bad state, the Cyanide weakening her. Ganabranth had waited until the poison started to take full effect before attempting to try to take control of her again; he knew she didn't have enough antidote. But… why would he not give her all of it? He couldn't have known she would escape and come to Camp Half-Blood…

Leo's chest constricted when the horrible truth set in.

Makayla sat back on her folded knees. Her head turned towards Leo and the son of Hephaestus leaned back involuntarily, her silver eyes unnerving. Her body shook, another tremble going through her as poison flowed further into her bloodstream, getting closer to her heart. The Snake turned and stood in one smooth and fluid movement.

 _"Makayla is once again under my control. As soon as I finish you off, she will return with me to where she belongs, to who she belongs. There is no one here to save you or her this time; you're out of tricks."_ It told Leo through his sister. She raised her hand over him a familiar silver blade appeared from her palm.

Leo tried to use his fire abilities. His heart, if it was still in one piece, was beating the speed of light as he was again unable to summon even a candle-sized flame. Adrenaline pulsed through his body. His gaze quickly flicked behind the redhead.

"You're right. I am out of tricks. I can't stop you." He agreed reasonably with a shrug. Then he smirked. "But _Will_ can."

Silver eyes widening, Makayla spun around to find herself facing Will Solace, who had snuck up behind her while she was distracted by Leo. The son of Apollo's hand shot out and stabbed a needle into her lower neck.

"You don't control anyone," He told the snake firmly. Then he pushed down on the syringe, injecting the liquid into her bloodstream.

Makayla's expression turned to one of shock and horror. The glow began to fade from her skin and Leo could almost see the snake disappear as her eyes rolled back and the scar's glow faded. Her knees buckled.

Will dropped the needle he had been holding, the glass breaking against the ground, and caught her as she again slipped into unconsciousness. He dropped down to one knee, absorbing the bulk of her fall.

"Was that..." Leo trailed off as he sat up.

"The Cyanide cure?" The young medic finished. "Yeah. Sorry I took so long; someone had moved everything so I couldn't find it at first."

Will explained. His blue eyes were locked on Makayla as his gaze traveled all over her limp frame. It was almost as though he was looking for something, eyebrows furrowed.

"What are you looking for?"

Will answered Leo without looking at him.

"Side-effects. I told you I wasn't completely positive if I got everything right. Cyanide is one of the potent and trickiest poisons. It's really hard to get right and if I got even the smallest thing wrong..." Will looked up at Leo with a dead-serious expression "Then I just killed your sister."

Leo paled and he suddenly felt very light-headed. He silently prayed to every god he knew the name of that his sister was about to be cured of the poison instead of killed by it. A single minute felt like a lifetime. Will's shoulders slumped and his expression changed to one of relief. The young medic closed his eyes and bowed his head as he muttered something.

"Well?" Leo pressed worriedly.

"She'll be fine," Will assured. Leo fell back down to the ground in utter relief. "The poison's receding from her blood but from what I could see, it came _very_ close. Even another minute and it would have reached her heart."

Leo felt like crying in relief.

"How can you be sure it's gone?" He asked. His friend was still holding and watching the unconscious redhead.

"If you knew what to look for, you'd have noticed her skin turning a light grayish color, a side-effect of the poison being in her for so long. It was close to covering her entire body. See? Right here on her arm? The gray's fading and she's going back to her regular color. "

"How did I not notice her skin turning grey?"

"Well, you probably thought it was her usual paleness. It had been there for long enough that you both probably got used to seeing it." Will explained. Leo nodded in understanding. The blond looked up and just then seemed to notice that everyone besides him and Leo was passed out on the ground.

"Wait, what happened here?" He asked, really confused.

"Ummm... Do you remember when Chiron was talking to us about the people who kidnapped Makayla?" Leo asked.

Will nodded and carefully stood from his half-kneeling position, easily holding the limp redhead in his arms. A distracted part of Leo was surprised at the action but said nothing of it.

"Yeah. Why?" Will asked, walking towards the ever-popular infirmary.

"Well, the first time Makayla was... taken over," Leo said as he followed the healer, not wanting to say possessed or controlled. "She had somehow used these weird powers."

The healer nodded, remembering.

"Was that what happened? Did she have the same powers as last time?" He asked.

"Yeah. She just blinked and everyone collapsed." Will's eyebrows rose in surprise. Then his gaze dropped down to the limp girl in his arms.

"She's so... complicated." He stated. "You think you got everything about her down, then something new happens and you get proven wrong and baffled all over again."

"You think _that's_ bad? Try being related to her." Leo chuckled.

Will laughed.

Ω Ω Ω

Will Solace gently laid Makayla down on one of the beds in the Infirmary.

Leo heard faint moaning sounds and peaked his head outside. He saw that a few people were starting to wake back up so he ducked back inside the infirmary and told Will. The healer used a hanging curtain to hide Makayla from view, just in case someone came in. Just in time too.

As soon as he moved the curtain, two people stumbled through the infirmary door, surprisingly being Jason and Piper. They saw Leo and they relaxed.

"Hey, guys. You alright?" Leo asked as he caught Piper before she fell, concerned by their stumbling.

"Thank the gods!" Piper muttered. Speaking louder she said, "We're fine, just dizzy. But we looked everywhere for you, Leo! Something happened that made me and Jason blackout."

Jason nodded slowly, his head spinning.

"We woke up and saw everyone else on the ground. We thought an attack had happened or something but when we looked for you, we couldn't find you anywhere. We were worried." He explained.

"I'm alright," Leo assured his friends. "I'm just helping Will with some stuff."

"It's fine, Leo. I got this." Will told the mechanic, shooing him away with a hand.

Leo nodded slowly and reluctantly left the infirmary with his two best friends, honestly wanting to stay with Makayla. With one last look over his shoulder at his sleeping sister, he closed the door.

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-third chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice** , **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Y'know... Looking back I remembered that in one of the first chapters I had said that I would try to post at least once a week cuz I was always sure busy. Ha! I have absolutely nothing in life right now and I'm posting like every day, sometimes multiple times. XD**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla felt something stab into her neck and she slipped into unconsciousness, of course, slipping into a dream as well.

When she opened her dream eyes, she almost screamed. She was back in the fiery room again. The floor, walls, ceiling, curtains; everything was still on fire. The fire roared, blazing high with angry flames. She fell to her knees, burying her head in her hands, wishing and praying she was out of the fire. Then she heard a faint sound and looked up.

Her eyes scanned the room then she stopped, seeing the person again. They were in the other corner of the room and they were yelling something that she couldn't hear, looking in her direction. Through all the flames and the tears on her cheeks, she saw it was a boy. Then her eyes widened.

The boy covered his face with his arms and started towards her, trying to move through the fire. She tried to yell at him to go back, that he would get burned, but the boy didn't hear. He took several more steps.

With a roar, the flames of the room jumped three meters (12 feet) into the air and the boy was knocked back, tumbling onto his side. He wasn't moving.

Makayla jumped to her feet, about to run over to him, before pausing. This fire could burn her. She had gotten a really bad burn on her arm from just barely touching the flames. She had always been afraid of fire… There was no way she was going to go running around a burning room. Then her silver eyes widened when she saw the flames crawling closer to the unmoving boy. She made a split-second decision.

Makayla ran from her protective circle, rushing over to the boy. She winced as she felt the flames biting at her but managed to reach the boy. She wrapped his arm around her shoulder and dragged him back over to her protective circle. Once in the circle, all the fire suddenly disappeared like a candle being blown out.

The demigod looked up in surprise. Not a single trace of the fire remained anywhere: no scorch marks, no hot spots, not even the temperature of the room was high.

She turned back to the boy and frowned when she saw his face. He looked familiar. But he was just part of her dream. Still, he looked very alive.

She tilted her head to see him straight. She placed a hand on his cheek, expecting his skin to be burning but it felt a normal temperature. He felt alive too. Putting her ear on his chest, her heart dropped when she heard no heartbeat. Not knowing what else to do, she placed her hands on his chest and pressed down several times.

"C' mon, work with me." She pleaded desperately. She pressed her mouth against his and like a switch, the boy's eyes snapped open.

Makayla jerked back, taking her mouth from his. Then the boy shot upright and his head spun around, spinning around the room. He noticed Makayla and she got a good look at him.

He had short black hair and looked about the same age as her. His skin was honey skin and his eyes were a light shade of brown, almost orange. Square face with deep-set eyes, Makayla was again confused about how insanely familiar he looked.

"Wh-where am-? There was fire- I wa- I was asleep but there was fire-" He stuttered, confused. "There were flames b-but- but it wasn't burning-"

"I know." Makayla cut off his ramblings, holding up her hands. "I know, I saw the fire too."

He looked at her strangely for a moment.

"You're that girl. W- Why were you crying?"

"Um… I really don't like fire. I've had bad accidents." Makayla explained vaguely, tucking her long red hair behind her ear. The boy nodded slowly, still staring at her.

"I know you..." He trailed off, mostly muttering to himself. "I've met you before but I- I can't remember… where…"

Makayla couldn't help but think how weird that was. People in dreams usually don't say they know you unless you made them up. He did look insanely familiar though. The boy frowned.

"Makenna!" He suddenly gasped in realization.

He almost jumped forward and cupped her cheeks in his hands, pressing his lips against hers. Makayla's almond eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. If she had been standing, she would have stumbled back and probably fall. It took her a minute to react before she shoved the boy away, separating their lips.

"What the hell are you doing?! Who are you?!" She demanded, confused and a little angry. She silently noticed he had called her Makenna instead of Makayla.

"Makenna, it's me. I'm Adam." He told her. Makayla's eyes widened and a memory flashed across her eyes.

 _Makayla was ten, lazily swinging back and forth on one of the swings at a park. She swung as she watched her younger foster brother play on the playset. A way away she saw her current foster parents sitting on a blanket on the grass, watching them both. They smiled when they caught her eye. Makayla smiled back, waving._

 _The Emerson's were one of Makayla's favorite foster families. They had two sons, a twenty-year-old in college and a three-year-old, but Natasha and Steven had always been hoping for a daughter. So when they decided to foster Makayla to see if she would like them to adopt her._

 _Makayla was swinging pretty low, her feet gently tapping against the wood chips, and suddenly yelped and grabbed onto the chains when someone grabbed her swing from behind and pushed her higher._

 _Makayla jumped off the swing mid-air, landing on her feet but tripping and falling onto her stomach. She heard laughing and rolled onto her back. A young boy about her age with black hair was bent over laughing. She waved off Natasha when she saw she was about to rush over and help her. Makayla stood and brushed the wood chips of her clothes._

 _"That wasn't nice! What was that for?" She demanded. The boy straightened and she saw he had pretty brownish-orange eyes._

 _"You weren't going high. Swings are meant to go high." He told her as he moved to sit on the swing she had occupied moments before._

 _"What if I wanted to swing low?" Makayla retorted, crossing her arms. The boy shrugged and started pumping his legs back and forth._

 _"Then you're boring." He said simply. "Besides, higher is funner."_

 _"Funner isn't a word," She rolled her purple and silver eyes. She walked to the neighboring swing next to her former one, sitting down and pushing herself back from the ground to start swinging._

 _"Why do you swing so low?" The boy asked, his feet already reaching the height of Makayla's head._

 _"Because I'm watching my foster brother and I can't do that very good when I'm moving up and down really high," Makayla explained, pointing to where three-year-old Joseph was trying to go down the swirling slide head-first on his back. She quickly called out to him not to do that and after giving her a cute pouty face, he turned around and slid down feet-first._

 _"Foster brother?" The boy asked, turning to look at Makayla, his brown eyes questioning._

 _"Yeah. The Emersons' are my foster family. They heard that I'm looking for a new family so they decided to foster me. It's pretty much like being babysat for a few months but now they're just waiting to see if I will be able to be adopted." Makayla told him._

 _"That's nice and I know what foster means." The boy's feet were above the height of Makayla's head by now. "I was just confused cuz if you're a foster then doesn't mean your parents died?"_

 _Makayla felt her heartache when she thought of her mother. She shook her head._

 _"Not always. Some kids can be put in foster care because their parents died but because they were abused or the people taking care of them went into jail or the parents just didn't want their kids." She explained._

 _"Well, that's rude. What about you? Why were you in foster care?" The boy's questions kept coming._

 _"Not were. I still am but mi mami died when I was really little and my dad didn't know about me." Makayla told him, looking down at her feet as they brushed against the wood chips. She pointedly ignored talking about her older brother._

 _She heard a thump and looked up to see the boy had jumped off his swing. He walked back over to the young redhead._

 _"I'm sorry. My name is Adam." He introduced._

 _"I'm Makayla but you can call me Makenna because I don't like my name that much," Makayla told Adam._

 _"Okay, I will!" Adam jumped back onto the swing and started pumping his legs again. "You know you're pretty smart about all that foster stuff."_

 _"Duh. I'm the kid going through it. I kinda have to know it so I know what's happening." Adam nodded again._

 _"I guess." Then he looked at the redhead with a challenge written across his face. "Okay then, Makenna. Whoever can jump off farther wins!"_

 _Makayla grinned and pushed off the ground, accepting the challenge._

Makayla's memory skipped several months later.

 _She was leading a complaining Adam towards an open space on the floor of a school gym that was decorated for a dance. She was wearing a knee-length, purple dress that had small white sparkles on it with matching silver flats. Her red hair was expertly pulled up into a braid and a small amount of make-up was shown on her cheeks and eyes._

 _Makayla's hand was wrapped around Adam's. He was wearing a crisp, three-piece suit with shiny black shoes and a purple tie that matched Makayla's dress._

 _"C' mon Makenna! I don't even know how to dance!" He complained while she pulled his arm._

 _"It's not that hard. Just do what I tell you and you'll be fine." Makayla told him as she rolled her double-colored eyes._

 _She stopped them in an open space and took a step closer to Adam. She grabbed his left hand and put it around her waist, drawing a small blush from him. She placed her right hand on his shoulder. She held his right hand out in her left._

 _"Okay. We're going to start now." Explaining the steps, Makayla showed her friend how to move his feet and before long the two were moving slowly to the music._

 _"We're moving in a sway-square-thing," Adam noted. Makayla laughed._

 _"It's called dancing."_

 _"How did you learn this?"_

 _"Mi mami taught it to me when I was really little. I guess it just sorta stuck with me." Makayla shrugged while swaying and dancing to the music playing._

 _"Well, I feel sorry for it if it's always stuck being with you," Adam told her with a smirk. Makayla swatted the back of his head and he laughed._

 _She smiled and laughed when Adam would stumble. At one point Adam got distracted and fell flat on his face. He had bumped her legs, almost causing her to trip, but she didn't care. She had fun with him. Feeling his eyes on him, Makayla looked back up at Adam and her swirling purple & silver eyes met his brown. Blushing hard, the two young teens leaned closer until they were an inch away._

 _Then the space between them closed and Makayla's lips brushed against Adam's._

Back in the no-longer-burning room, Makayla snapped from her memories. She blinked a few times and saw Adam sitting in front of her Indian style, legs crossed. Makayla launched forward and wrapped her arms around Adam, his arms doing the same.

"Adam! Oh my gods! I've missed you!" She exclaimed.

"I've missed you too, Makenna." He replied. Makayla pulled away from him.

"Call me Makayla." She corrected

"I thought you didn't like that name?"

"I didn't when I met you but I'm okay with it now." The redhead explained. Adam nodded.

"Well, that's nice." He said with a wink, using his ever-popular line. Makayla smiled. "You look a lot different than the last time I saw you. I almost didn't recognize you."

"First off, it's been almost eight years. And second off, I'm older so of course I'm going to look different."

"I mean, I'm not complaining." He said, wiggling his eyebrows. Makayla rolled her eyes and swatted his arm. Then she felt a weird tugging at the back of her head and she realized she was beginning to wake up.

 _'Not now!'_ She thought. _'Just a bit longer!'_

"How are you here?" Makayla asked out loud.

"I don't know. I fell asleep then found myself in the burning room. I looked over and I saw you fall down but when I tried to go over to you, I guess I blacked out or something. Then I woke up, well woke up in a dream, when you gave the kiss of life!" He joked.

"Well, I'm about to wake up for real. I need to know if you could come here again the next time you're asleep?" Makayla as, ignoring his last comment. He shrugged.

"I dunno. I mean I'll try but sometimes my dreams go places without my permission. I hope you mean here as in this version of the room and not when it's completely engulfed in flames?" He clarified a bit sarcastically.

"Yes," Makayla agreed quickly. "Yeah, try to come here without the flames and I will too." Adam was beginning to look a bit fuzzy. "I'm starting to wake up now."

"Damn. Okay, I'll see you again soon Maken- Makayla." Adam corrected himself. He quickly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers again. "Bye."

"Bye…" Makayla muttered, a little dazed. Adam disappeared and Makayla opened her eyes, back in Camp Half-Blood.

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-fourth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice** , **and/or** **compliments** **are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I am lonelyyy! I'm so lonelyyy! I have nobody! I'm on my ooowwwwnnn!**

 **So my family left on a camping trip to a national park and because looking at rocks while hiking for miles holds no excitement for me, I stayed home. Well, that and because my ankle can't hold my weight for that long. I can only stand for up to an hour straight. So now it's just me and my doggo rocking out to some loud party music that's probably gonna burst my speakers!**

 **Also, more NicoXMakayla friendship bonding!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla covered her eyes with her arm, completely exhausted.

She had woken up to find herself in her bed back in the Hades Cabin, which was kinda odd since she would think Will Solace or Leo or whoever would have brought her to the infirmary after the failed attack from Ganabranth.

She sighed as she thought about what happened. She had been with Ashlyn most of the day after her friend was claimed by Iris, she then had that "moment" with Jakob, found out she could be controlled by Ganabranth then _was_ controlled, then had a dream reunion with a half-boyfriend from almost seven years ago.

A lot to swallow

She thought back to Adam. It had been so long since she had last seen him that she had nearly forgotten about him. Her lips tingled as she thought about her dream. A small part of her still wondered if she had just dreamt him up again but most of her knew he had really been there.

Makayla lifted her arm slightly to see when she heard the door to the cabin open. She only saw the person's bottom half but she could just tell from the dark pants and the bottom of their black jacket who it was.

"I didn't think you'd be awake," Nico greeted, walking over to his side of the cabin. Makayla raised an eyebrow before remembering her upper face was still covered.

"I didn't think I would be either, not after what happened." She replied.

"Yeah, Leo and Will told me some of it. They only really gave the brief overview though. They said you'd been poisoned?"

"Yup," Makayla's arm still covered her eyes. Nico kindly flipped off the light, the cabin's light now coming from the windows. She uncovered her eyes. "Thanks."

"No problem. Will told me because he said for me to "watch for side-effects". Not helpful cuz he didn't explain what the side effects were." Nico explained. "He also said, and I quote, "if you do anything in the next three days then he will literally handcuff your leg to your bed so you can't get out". His words, not mine."

"Then I guess I'm stuck here for a while," Makayla announced after a full minute of silence

"Yep. Oh, and your friend Ashlyn has been driving me insane! She keeps pestering me to let her in to see you." Nico remembered with a groan. "I finally managed to send her away and told her to come back in an hour or two. Seeing the time, she actually should be here any second-"

Almost immediately someone began pounding on the cabin's door, long and hard. Nico muttered what sounded like an Italian curse and moved over to open the door.

"Is she awake yet I heard talking so she must be awake how is she is she okay _TELL ME SHE'S OKAY!_ " A worried voice demanded as soon as it opened.

Makayla recognized Ashlyn's insanely fast speed talk. She saw her dark hands grab Nico's shoulders and start shaking him.

"Yes, she's awake," Nico said, pushing the dark-skinned girl away. "But I don't-" Ashlyn had already ducked under his arm and was at Makayla's side after the third word. "-think you should bug her."

"Makayla are you alright what happened did you get hurt is it going to happen again is it gone now are you okay why aren't you saying anything?!" Ashlyn had spoken so fast that Makayla barely even heard what she was saying.

"Calm down Ash!" Makayla laughed while pushing herself up so she was sitting cross-legged. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm just tired."

"You slept for almost two days. How are you tired?" Ashlyn's voice was back to the speed of a regular human. The redhead waved it off. "But seriously. What happened?"

From the corner of her eye, Makayla saw Nico lookup. She didn't know that the son of Hades already knew what had happened. He was curious about what Makayla thought/was told. Said girl bit her lip.

"Um... I'm honestly not sure. From what I know, it's never really happened before. I don't know what happened, just that it's not going to happen again."

If only she knew she was lying.

For the next two hours, Ashlyn and Makayla just talked together like sisters. Eventually one of Ashlyn's half-siblings dragged her out of the cabin to bring her to training and meals and the Campfire, after which Ashlyn came straight back to the Hades Cabin. Nico eventually kicked the daughter of Iris out (almost literally), telling her that he and Makayla needed sleep. Reluctantly she left after promising to come back the next day.

"I was beginning to think she was planning on sleeping here," Nico muttered after Ashlyn had left. Makayla grinned, sitting cross-legged on her bunk.

"Nah. She's a daughter of the goddess of rainbows and this is a dark and gloomy cabin for the god of death. Even if I was in a coma on the brink of death, there is no way she would stay the night here."

Nico nodded his head to the side in agreement.

"True but she was here for like, five hours. She did not shut up!" He groaned. Makayla laughed.

"You think she's annoying now? Imagine living with her for a year when you're two."

"One word: nightmare," Nico said simply with a fake shudder. At least Makayla thought it was fake. She laughed again, turning around when Nico started to change.

"Ashlyn isn't _that_ bad. You just have to get used to her." The redhead pursed her lips. "Of course being you that may take a while."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well she's bubbly, happy, and hugs while you're gloomy, grumpy, and don't-touch-me."

"I'm not grumpy." Nico immediately protested.

"Do you have your pants on?" Makayla asked without turning around. "And yeah, you sometimes are."

"Yes, I'm wearing pants." He responded. She turned around then yelped, her hands snapping to cover her eyes when she caught sight of a shirtless Nico diAngelo.

" _Nico!_ Liar!" She accused, spinning back around

"What? You just asked if I had pants on and I do." Said boy argued with a smirk.

"You know what I meant!"

Makayla heard the dark-haired demigod chuckle.

"So you're fine walking around camp without a shirt for a full day but one glance at me and you freak out?"

" _Now_ are you fully dressed?" Makayla asked, ignoring her friend's last comment. Nico just chuckled.

"Yes. I am dressed." She peeked through her fingers slightly and saw that he was indeed covered.

"You know, I'm not gonna lie and say you're not good looking. You got a pretty nice body." She told him casually. Nico hesitated.

"Uh… thanks?" He seemed unsure of how to respond. Makayla pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"The only downside is that you're gonna end up blinding someone one of these days. You're way too pale! We gotta get you some sun."

"Ha, ha, you're so funny." Nico joked sarcastically with an eye-roll, now understanding the meaning of her previous compliment. The redhead visibly held back a grin.

"Of course we might lose you during winter. Y'know, the snow and everything?"

"You're one to talk. Last time I checked, you're not that dark either."

"True. But at least I don't wear black clothes that make me look like I'm a corpse, which is ironic seeing as it's you." The redhead chuckled.

"Can we stop talking about my skin color?" The Italian interrupted, hoping to drop the topic before his friend rambled too far.

"Fine! But I want to talk about _something!"_ Said girl sighed. "I've been sleeping for nearly two days and I'm not tired anymore."

"If you wanna keep talking, then talk to yourself. I need to sleep." The dark-haired demigod grumbled. Makayla thought for a moment then her imp-grin turned devious she hid it before her friend could see.

"Alright then. Topics though... Food? Nah. Sports? Boring. How about people? Piper? Nah. Jason? Eh, maybe later. Oh! How about Will?" Her smirk betrayed her casual voice.

Nico froze.

"What about him?" He asked carefully. Makayla barely held back a laugh.

"For the gods' sake, Nico! Why do you keep denying that you like him?" She exclaimed.

"I never denied it," Nico's voice was almost too quiet to hear. "But I also never said if I did or didn't."

Makayla sigh-groaned. He was just so stubborn.

She swung her legs out of the bed and stood. A huge head-rush hit her and stumbled slightly. Nico quickly moved over and grabbed her arms, holding her steady and telling her to get back in bed, but Makayla ignored him. She grabbed him and cupped his cheeks in her hands and turned him to face her. She didn't say anything but instead stared dead-serious into his dark eyes.

"What?" Nico asked uncomfortably. She continued staring. "Seriously Makayla, you're freaking me out a little."

She narrowed her eyes.

"Found it." She announced simply after a few more seconds, startling him a bit.

"Found what?" Nico looked confused.

Makayla continued to stare, which he found just a little intimating; her swirling multi-colored eyes were unwavering. Usually, people could only hold his gaze for a few seconds before looking away but she seemed to have no problem.

"You're heart-sick." She realized, letting him go.

Nico frow _ned._

 _'How does she know that?! Did someone tell her? Does she know I used to like Percy? All she did was stare at me for a minute!'_ He mentally panicked.

"No, I'm not." He automatically denied it.

Makayla crossed her scarred arms and raised an eyebrow in a 'do you expect me to believe that' expression.

"Who was he?" She asked, though not in a demanding tone. Nico didn't say anything and turned back to face his bed. Makayla didn't move so after a while Nico gave up.

"Percy Jackson." He sighed. "But he's happy with Annabeth and I already told him. I'm over him now."

"Then why did I still see a broken heart?" Again, Makayla wasn't being demanding or blunt about it. She sounded genuinely curious yet she retained a gentle tone. Nico again said nothing. It took a minute but the redhead realized why. "You're afraid he won't love you back, aren't you?"

"Why do you keep thinking it's just guys that I like?" The Italian sighed.

Nico was getting annoyed by the redhead's uncanny ability to read him. He built up his walls but she passed by them like there was a door open just for her and it unnerved him.

"It's actually really obvious, to me at least, cuz I can relate." Makayla's voice had gone quieter, her swirling eyes now down.

"Wait what?"

 _'How can she understand? Does she like girls?'_ Nico thought. _'But she's with Jakob now so that wouldn't make any sense.'_

Makayla sighed and sat down on Nico's bed, him joining her a moment after.

"When I was younger, I leaned the same way." She began. "Third grade. Her name was Hanna. I was pretty social but she was kinda like you, wearing black and staying to herself. Still, I just couldn't stop myself from liking her. I hated it. I had thought it gross A girl liking another girl; it just wasn't considered right in society back then. I always knew she wouldn't like me back and I wondered why I couldn't like any of the boys. I guess I hated it because... I knew that she wouldn't like me in return and it broke my heart to love someone who doesn't and wouldn't love you back."

Makayla stopped. Her eyes looked cracked.

Nico didn't see this part of Makayla very often. She was usually a sarcastic, funny, smart-aleck girl. Less-often she would be scared and fragile (which Nico understood as she had a really dark and scary past) but now she seemed... open. Usually, she was good at hiding her emotions but he could clearly see how she had felt before and how she felt now. Maybe that was on purpose?

"Somehow managed to change and even though I have Jakob now and I have a thing for boys... I'll always love Hanna. She was my first crush after all and I never really can get over her. Even though all of my love is with Jake there will always be a part of my heart that stays with her."

Makayla finished with a quiet voice and dark silver eyes.

Nico didn't know what to say. He had never met someone who understood him like this strange red-haired girl. He thought that everyone else would judge him or dislike him if they found out. He had never really thought that anyone else here would be the same. And out of anyone, he never would have thought that person would be Makayla; she was so infatuated with Jakob.

"What happened to her?" Nico wondered. Makayla just shrugged.

"I don't know. If I had to guess I'd say she grew up and is probably living a better life than I am. Then again… anyone is living a better life than me..." She trailed off.

"Why tell me this?" He then asked.

Makayla shrugged again, running a hand through her wavy red hair.

"I'm not entirely sure. I guess I just didn't want you to feel like you're alone." She decided. "I know what that's like and no one should feel alone. And that includes you.

Nico's smile was small but it was a real and genuine one.

"Well… thanks anyway. I guess it is a bit easier."

Makayla looked up from the floor and Nico could see her emotions as plain as day.

"Even if I don't lean that way anymore?" She asked.

"Yeah. I guess just knowing you did at one point..." He trailed off. She smiled. She leaned over and pecked Nico's cheek, no feelings behind the action but those of friendship.

"You're welcome." She stood up and walked over to her bed.

She was about to climb in when there was a knock on the door. Again ignoring the fact that she's not supposed to get up, she walked over and opened it. Nico couldn't see who it was but judging from the look on her face, he had a pretty good guess who it was. Then his suspicions were confirmed.

"Excuse me. What do you think you're doing?" Will Solace demanded, arms crossed.

"Opening the door," Makayla replied bluntly. Nico held back a grin but the blond wasn't amused.

"I told you to rest in bed. Well, I told Nico to tell you but that doesn't matter!"

"Did you honestly expect me to stay in my bed like a dog all day and all night just because you told me to?" Makayla raised an eyebrow as she moved aside a little to let the healer inside the cabin.

"Not really," Will confessed as he moved over to her bed. "But I was at least hoping that you would stay in the cabin like I asked since it's only been two days since I took the time to make the insanely difficult cure for the deadly poison and rid it from your body, hence saving your life."

"When you put it like that it makes me feel like an awful person! Makayla complained. Nico chuckled. "You shut up."

"Hey, Nico." Will greeted the dark-dressed half-blood, looking over Makayla's shoulder. Nico could almost see her holding back a smile. The blond turned back to the redhead. "Checkup."

"But you take forever!" She whined dramatically.

"There she is." The son of Hades chuckled. Makayla gave him the finger without turning around.

Nico laughed.

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-fifth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I am lonelyyy! I'm still lonelyyy! I have nobody! I'm still on my ooowwwwnnn!**

 **Yep. It's been literally 6 minutes since my last post so literally, nothing has changed. I'm still just jamming out with my puppy.**

 **Also, this one's short because the next one is long as it explains some stuff and there isn't a place to cut it in half.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

After greeting the healer, the son of Hades left to the cabin's bathroom to take a shower while Will looked over the redhead.

"Can I ask you a question, Will?" Makayla asked the son of Apollo as she held out her arm. Will moved up to unroll the bandage around her arrow wound and nodded, a bit confused as he had never heard her sound so hesitant before.

"Of course. You can ask me anything, you know that." He reminded his friend with a smile.

"Right. Um... well, h-how do you feel about Jake liking me? Honestly? I mean, he is your half-brother..." She managed to ask, her swirling eyes locked on the blond's hands.

Will paused his unwrapping. He thought for a moment then breathed out slowly.

"Well it's completely his decision; I can't stop him from liking someone and I won't try to. But… There are a bunch of other girls in the world." He answered, continuing to unwrap the bandage. Makayla held back a wince, trying hard not to show the hurt, but he saw her emotions in her eyes. "I'm not trying to offend you or say that you're not good enough, Makayla. You're a really nice girl and an awesome friend but you have a lot of accidents and a lot of bad stuff happens to you. I just don't want Jake to get hurt trying to a hero for you."

Makayla wasn't sure what she was feeling in response to Will's words but she didn't trust herself to speak. So she simply nodded. Said person paused for a moment to let his words sink in before he continued.

"If you want to know what I honestly think…" He put his hand on hers until the redhead met his gaze. "Despite my worries, I think that you two are adorable and you're great together."

Makayla's multi-colored eyes widened slightly.

"Wait, really?" She affirmed.

Will nodded then paused for a tiny second before chuckling.

"Well, that and the fact that he's _completely_ head-over-heels. He never shuts up about you! It's _way_ too late to even try to snap him out of it."

Makayla couldn't stop the uncharacteristic giggle that passed her lips.

"Thank you, Will. A lot." She thanked gratefully.

"Of course. I'm serious though; I really don't him to get hurt trying to be a hero."

"He'll be fine. I can handle myself." She reassured. Then she frowned when she noticed how intently the healer was looking at her hands. "Um, what are you doing?"

"I'm making sure that the poison is receding from your bloodstream." He explained. Makayla raised an eyebrow.

"And you're looking at my hands... Why?"

"Because the clearest way to see if the side-effects are gone is through your hands."

Makayla gulped. She had to admit that she was nervous; what if there was still some poison left? How long would it take before the pain returned? Or what if Will had gotten the cure wrong? Would the pain be worse than before?

"Well...?" She urged when she saw the healer's shoulders relax.

"You'll be okay. The poison's gone." He finally told her. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Wait, really? Honest?" She forced out. Her friend nodded.

"Honest." He agreed. "You are safe."

A sob fell from Makayla's lips. Pure relief flooded through her body as her face went to her hands. A weight as heavy as the sky was just been lifted from her shoulders and a single tear of relief slid past her hand.

Will caught sight of the lone tear and smiled softly. Instead of responding with words, he instead moved to sit beside his friend on her bed and wrapped his arms around her. The redhead immediately responded by leaning into his embrace. She made no sounds but Will could feel her shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Will held his friend in silence. He understood how important those three words were to her: 'You are safe.' A part of him wondered how long it had been since Makayla had heard those words spoken truly and he felt his chest ache. He looked down at the crying girl in his arms and sighed sadly. She had gone through so much and been told so many lies that it was no wonder she trusted close to no one and believed close to nothing. Will smiled softly and felt a rush of gratitude knowing that the injured redhead trusted him enough to believe his words.

Several minutes passed before Makayla calmed enough to sit back up. The smallest trace of tears was visible on her cheeks but Will knew those had been happy tears of relief.

"You-You're sure it's all gone?" She repeated, her eyes silently begging for the truth. Will smiled and nodded.

"Yes. You're safe from it because it's gone." He reassured. Makayla sniffed and wiped her hand over her light purple eyes.

"How can you tell?" She wondered curiously. She seemed to have calmed down.

"How can you tell?" She wondered curiously after she sat up.

"If you knew what you were looking for, you'd have noticed your skin turning red. Like, as-red-as-a-cherry kinda red. It was pretty faint cuz your skin's pretty light but if you looked close enough then you could have seen it."

"How did I not notice my hands turning cherry-red?"

"Again, it was pretty faint because of your usual paleness. Plus, it had been there for long enough that you probably got used to seeing it," Will told her, using the same response he gave Leo. Makayla nodded.

Will re-wrapped the bandage around her arm then stood up.

"Well your back is looking better and your arm's healing pretty fast, so that's good. But it's also healing way faster than it should, which worries me. In five days it's better than it would be in two weeks."

"I am two-thirds god. That probably helps." Makayla reminded him, though her smooth voice was a bit sour. Will nodded thoughtfully.

"Probably. But that also explains another thing."

"What?"

"How long ago did you manage to, um… to get away from where you were being kept?" The son of Apollo asked, being very careful of his wording. Makayla thought for a moment.

"Ummm... About six months. Why?" (not positive on the exact date, she rounded up)

Makayla felt her spine run cold when Will gave her the most serious look she had ever seen him use. His voice was careful and level but told no-nonsense.

"Makayla… The amount of poison that was left in your bloodstream… It should have killed you after _two_ months not started taking effect after _six_." He told her slowly.

Makayla's dark silver eyes widened.

"Two months... Not six..." She repeated numbly, running her hands through her long red hair. "And this just because I have two godly parents?"

"Maybe? I've never heard of this happening before so I really can't say for sure but if I had to guess, I would say that's why. You are _so incredibly_ lucky that you survived." The healer nodded.

Makayla took a breath then paused as her swirling thoughts became coherent.

Having the blood of Hermes and Hephaestus kept her alive for all those years. It was because of them that she was born as she was. Makayla. wanted to hate her dads but it almost seemed like it got harder every day. They came to Camp Half-Blood at the same time, ignoring the trouble they could get into if any of the other Olympians found out, just because Leo told them she was in danger. Indirectly, they had kept her alive through so much torture and pain. She knew _why_ they ignored her: if any other god found out about her then she and her fathers could get in serious trouble.

As much as Makayla didn't want to admit it… she knew she should have thanked her fathers when she saw them instead of yelled.

"So? Is she gonna be okay?"

Makayla and Will looked up as Nico walked back into the room. He was dressed in black shorts and a t-shirt that had the sleeves cut off and was running a towel through his damp hair. He had tried to sound nonchalant but the redhead and the blond heard the worry he attempted to hide.

"Yeah, she'll be fine. The poison's receding and her wounds are healing." The healer reported with a nod, standing from his kneeling position.

"Thanks to Will's medical smartness," Makayla added with a smile as she playfully nudged her friend. Will rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile.

"I couldn't _not_ do anything; if I can help save someone then I will. Besides, you're my friend." He told her humbly. "Plus your brother would have burned me to nothing if I hadn't."

The young Valdez laughed and Nico allowed the barest hint of a smile.

A spark of mischievousness flicked to life in Makayla's mind and her eyes flicked back and forth between the two boys. Hiding the Valdez's Signature Imp Grin, she stood and stretched her good arm behind her head with a small groan. Her left arm was back in its bandage.

"Thank you for helping me, Will. It means a lot. I'm gonna get some air, though." She stated casually while moving towards the door. "I'll just be out on the veranda if you need me." Just barely, she allowed her grin to slip out. "I won't listen so maybe this could give you two some time to… Talk about some stuff."

Nico's eyes widened in realization when he saw her wink and he opened his mouth to argue but Makayla was already gone.

Ω Ω Ω

Makayla sat on the porch step on the Hades Cabin and smiled to herself.

She knew from practically Day 1 that Will and Nico liked each other and figured the two had been dancing on hot coals long enough. She had only been at Camp Half-Blood a few weeks but she had already begun to get annoyed by the two's obliviousness so she did something about it.

It wasn't her place to intervene, Makayla knew that, but if she didn't do something then no one else would. _(Well, maybe Jason would but he was more hesitant when it came to match-making)_ She also knew that the two boys were talking because Will would have left by then had they not been.

The Daughter of Two slowly breathed out. There were two ways that the boys' conversation could end: either they get together as a couple and be happy, or they become those two people that are so awkward together that it automatically makes the situation uncomfortable.

Makayla mindlessly played with her long hair as she sat. She didn't really have anything to think about and had promised she'd stay on the veranda. So she waited. And braided. And waited. And unbraided.

It wasn't long before she began to get impatient and decided to listen in, just for a moment. She silently stood and move to press her slightly-pointed ear against the wood of the door.

"-not explain it." She heard Will stutter. "I mean like, we talk a lot but I just- I get kinda tongue-tied. I can hide it pretty well though but I- you change my- you're like... you get distracting to me but it's like- it's in a good way though."

Makayla held back a laugh as she heard how adorably flustered the son of Apollo was being.

"At least… I'm not the only one..." She had to strain to hear Nico's quiet voice.

"I get it if you- wait, what? Really? You mean it's not - you get like that too?" Will sounded hopeful.

"Well yeah. I mean, I had a crush on someone else before but I'm- I'm over him. I kinda... like someone else… now."

Makayla could almost see Nico shrugging as he turned to look away. But she knew it was time for her to stop listening. So she returned to the step. She had to hold back from giggling at how awkward and twitterpated the two were boys were. It was honestly adorable and it made her happy to think of the possibility of Will and Nico getting together.

The redhead was well aware that their love lives weren't her business but they both were obviously too shy to say or do anything with so many other people around.

Plus, she wanted to thank Nico and Will for everything they've done. Not sure how to until then, she decided that she would thank them both by giving the two the opportunity they've been waiting for but never found.

Makayla wasn't sure how long had passed before the door to Cabin 13 opened again. Will had a rather goofy smile on his face as he walked out, the door failing to close fully behind him.

"That's a happy smile. Did you two have a nice talk?" Makayla asked innocently, standing to let him down the step. The blond attempted a glare.

"You planned that." He accused with a frown.

"YES!" Makayla exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, practically throwing her hand into the air. "You two are so freaking awkward! If I hadn't helped you just now, you two would be hopping around each other forever."

"I admit that yes, you helped. But don't you think we would have, I dunno, liked a bit of a warning first?" Will pointed.

His question brought a smile from the redhead. Makayla smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Just thank me and stop being awkward." She replied in finality.

Will rolled his blue eyes but did, in fact, thank her. They exchanged a quick hug before the blond left to his cabin for the night.

Makayla chuckled and went back inside to see Nico on his bed with an equally goofy grin on his face. He quickly hid it though when he saw the redhead but she saw.

"You're a real piece of s**t, you know that?" He accused as a greeting.

"Just say thanks." Makayla agreed with a smirk. Nico glared.

"I should have realized you were gonna do that." He grumbled in self-annoyance.

"Yes, you should have. _Te estas volviendo lento, viejo."_ His friend teased, moving to her own bunk. "But I guess love does that to people. Anyway, how'd it go? Shall I be calling you two "Solangelo" now?"

 _(you are getting slow, old man)_

Nico blinked.

"What the f*ck?"

"It's your guys' ship name!"

"Our _what?!"_

"Your ship name! I made it up just now. It's both your names all smushed together; basically, it's relationship title." Makayla explained, watching Nico's expression from the corner of her purple eyes as she braided her hair for the night. "You didn't say how it went."

Nico groaned, falling onto his back. Slowly, a small smile came to his lips.

 _"Sentiti libero di creare un biglietto da visita Solangelo."_ He finally relented. Understanding Italian, Makayla giggled happily.

 _(Feel free to make a Solangelo name card)_

Mission accomplished

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-sixth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **It's still just me and the doggo home. He's lots of fun. He had a barbie-movie marathon last night cuz I found a bunch on Vudu and turns out he _really_ likes them. Stayed with me the entire time and looked away from the screen only once.**

 **Earlier today we went on a walk to get some snacks from the nearby gas station and afterward we did some karaoke :) He won, no surprise. He barked the song Who Let The Dogs Out by Baha Men and totally nailed it!**

 **V Also, really important info in this one V**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

The next few days passed by Makayla in a blur.

As promised, Ashlyn came back. She stayed with Makayla most of the day and Leo stopped by several times as well but they had to go back to training.

By the third day, Makayla was close to going crazy. She hated being trapped inside without anything to do. It made her feel restricted and trapped. Thankfully, Will came in and told her that as long as she doesn't do any hard-work training like the lava wall, she can finally get out and start doing easy training like casual sparing.

Happy to be outside once again, the Makayla nearly ran out of the Hades Cabin. Unfortunately, her running caused her to run into Jakob quite literally though this time she managed to avoid getting pulled down by his hands.

"Funny how we keep running into each other like this." She joked with a wink. Jakob shrugged from his place on the ground.

"Easy for you to say. My back can only take so much." He answered, groaning as he got to his feet. Makayla laughed and returned Jakob's hug after he stood, him giving her lips a quick kiss. "I missed you. Where you been?"

"I was stuck in the cabin for a few days because your half-brother is worrisome," She replied, enjoying Jakob's embrace.

"Don't let him hear that or he might make you go back." The blond cautioned with a wink.

Makayla chuckled and he wrapped his arm around her waist. The two walked around for a while before stopping at the training arena where they saw Jason Grace hacking at some dummies.

"Hey Jason!" Makayla greeted.

"Hi guys," The son of Jupiter responded, not breaking his eye contact or concentration. He gave a few more hits then he stopped. "What's up?"

"Makayla here was looking for someone to spar with," Jakob answered before his girlfriend could say anything.

"What?!" The redhead protested

"You made me spar with Percy. Now you get Jason." He replied cheekily.

"I mean, I got nothing better to do after all. I'm willing." Jason agreed with a shrug.

Makayla shot knives but Jakob just shrugged with a grin. She turned back to Jason.

"Fine. You got a sword I could use?" She gave in.

"Do you not have one?" The Roman asked. Makayla shook her head so he sheathed his own sword. "We can fix that. Follow me."

Jason led Makayla to a shed where she saw a huge variety of weapons: there were swords to throwing knives to bows to daggers, even guns. There were dozens of different styles of each.

"I'm going to guess no knives or daggers?" The son of the sky knew. Makayla shook her head so fast it felt as if it would fall off. Her friend placed his hand on her shoulder to calm her slightly. "I didn't think so."

Jason picked up a sword and handed it to Makayla but it was too light and she almost flung it to the ceiling. The next one was way too heavy and even Jason had a bit of trouble lifting it. They tried a few other things but nothing felt right in her hands. Just as Makayla was beginning to think they weren't going to find anything she saw Jason frown and pause. He then reached behind a stack of what looked like unfinished swords and pulled something out.

"What's that?" Makayla asked, walking over.

"Um, I'm not sure. It was hiding back there." Jason admitted.

It was a sword but the scabbard was covered in a thick layer of dust and a cloth was wrapped around the hilt as if someone had been trying to hide it. Makayla opened her mouth to comment on the appearance when the shed's door opened and Annabeth entered.

"Oh, hey guys." She greeted. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to find something for Makayla," Jason explained simply.

"What's that?" Jason handed her the sword. "Where did you find this?"

"It was hiding behind a bunch of other stuff. Recognize it?"

The daughter of Athena frowned and blew the dust from the scabbard. The dust moved to reveal some sort of mark but as soon as she saw the symbols, her grey eyes widened and she dropped the sword to the ground with a horrified gasp.

"What's wrong?" Makayla quickly asked, wondering if the sword was cursed or something.

For a long moment, Annabeth said nothing; she stared at the sword. Then, very slowly, she moved down to one knee and gently unwrapped the cloth from around the hilt of the sword. Once it was uncovered, her hands went to her mouth as though she was scared.

"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Jason repeated Makayla's question. Annabeth slowly shook her head.

"This sword… it… I thought it had been destroyed…" She muttered.

"Why would it be destroyed? What is it?" Makayla wondered aloud. Annabeth stood.

"Put it back and forget you ever saw it. I am dead serious, Makayla." Her eyes were serious and voice grave as she looked at the redhead. "You do not want this."

"But why?"

Annabeth seemed hesitant but answered none-the-less.

"A lot of the weapons here at camp have a history. Piper's dagger once belonged to Helen of Troy. Percy's sword Riptide: it was originally Poseidon's. But this…" She shook her head solemnly. "This sword has a history I and pretty much everyone else have gladly forgotten."

"What's its history?" Jason was curious, though he too was looking warily at the blade on the floor. The daughter of Athena shook her head again, looking ready to leave.

"Sorry, but you don't want to hear it. Especially you, Makayla."

"Well, now I really do!" Makayla argued, crossing her arms. Annabeth was silent for a very long moment then sighed heavily and gave in.

"A few years ago, there was this camper that appeared out of pretty much nowhere. She was bruised, bloody, her clothes were torn up, and she looked exhausted. She stumbled into camp and collapsed. We patched her up best we could but some of her injuries wouldn't heal. She slept for days and in her sleep, she kept mumbling about snakes and secret marks." Makayla shivered and took a shaking breath as the Snake Scar across her body tingled uncomfortably. Annabeth continued, "When she woke up enough to talk, she introduced herself and told us what had happened. She said that she had been kidnapped and was chased by monsters after escaping. We asked who by but she said she couldn't remember their name. She had passed through the border so she had to be a demigod and we trained her."

Dread had begun to form in Jason's stomach, the girl's story sounding far too familiar for any of his liking. Judging from the look on the redhead's face, he guessed it was the same for Makayla.

"When she got to choose a weapon she asked the Hephaestus cabin to make her a sword, this sword, and named it Desolation. We didn't know the reason why she picked the name at the time. She seemed to be a pretty good person; she followed the rules, she always did she told, she kept her promises, she was friends with pretty much everyone. Even Mr. D liked her. But then things had started to go missing: at first, it was just a small trinket or token but we started getting suspicious when people's weapons started disappearing. She was Miss Perfect throughout all that but over time, she started to change. She became sour and rude and would bully the new campers. She would disappear for a week or even weeks then come back like nothing happened."

Annabeth paused and Makayla had to hold back from yelling at her to keep going. The blonde wouldn't meet her gaze as she spoke, grey eyes still on the sword.

"It was... It was about six or seven months after she appeared when camp was attacked. People and monsters came from _everywhere_. They attacked everyone and everything in sight… except for the girl. She just stood at the entrance of Camp Half-Blood and was watching the battle like it was a movie. When I confronted her, she told her that she had planned to destroy the camp since she arrived."

Annabeth's gaze darkened.

"She had betrayed everyone at camp and used the same sword we made for her to kill dozens of campers. If this had been a regular camp, everyone would have been slaughtered. But this is a camp for demigods. It was a big battle and she died in the end but her sword… I-I don't remember keeping it." Annabeth finished. Her voice was hard but her eyes were still locked on the sword.

"But what does this have to do with me? It's a horrible story, yeah and I'm sorry, but you said I wouldn't want to hear it. Why?" Makayla reminded. The Daughter of Athena sighed heavily before finally turning to face the redhead.

"Because the girl's name was Makayla and she looked exactly like you."

Ω Ω Ω

Makayla was in momentary shock.

Someone had betrayed everyone at Camp Half-Blood and attacked them, all with her name and her same looks.

Makayla's swirling eyes dropped to the sword laying so innocently on the wooden floor.

She slowly knelt to one knee and carefully uncovered the hilt of the sword, touching only the cloth. It was beautifully simple; the hilt was a two-hand grip and wrapped with light-colored leather and the crossbar was white with a slight up-curve at the tips.

As though in a daze, Makayla slowly traced her hand along the sheath. The action removed more of the dust and she froze when the sheath's pattern became clear.

"Makayla? Are you okay?" Jason asked worriedly when he saw her freeze.

She didn't, _couldn't,_ answer. Her eyes slowly traced along with the pattern: it started at the bottom, twisting tightly around the leather, the scales twisting to reach the top where the opening of the sheath served as the mouth… she would recognize that image anywhere.

The Serpents' snake.

Makayla's body-sized scar tingled and sent an almost painful shiver running down her spine. It seemed like everywhere she went and everything she did, had something to do with that evil group. How did Past Makayla have that symbol on her sword? The Serpents were nearly impossible to find! And no one could join unless forced or recruited.

Slowly, Makayla wrapped her hand around the hilt and pulled the sword from its sheath.

"Makayla don't-!" Annabeth bit her lip when the sword's blade showed. She pressed her lips together nervously. It was straight, unlike the usual Greek design, and silver: that was all they saw.

"Who made this?" Makayla asked quietly, eyes locked on the blade.

"Um, I think it was Charles Beckendorf. He was the former Hephaestus Cabin counselor before Leo." Annabeth explained. Her voice caught slightly at her friend's name. "He was one of the best blacksmiths here."

"'Was'?" Jason noted the past tense.

"He died fighting against Kronos. He was a true hero." The daughter of Athena answered simply. Sensing she didn't want to say more Jason left it at that.

Makayla however, had completely zoned out the little exchange. The silver blade was mesmerizing but the redhead could have sworn it was making some kind of sound, like a kind of… singing? She furrowed her eyebrows. Slowly, she reached out a hand… her fingers touched the blade-

There was a flash of light and suddenly images flashed in front of Makayla's eyes:

 _She saw a woman laying on a hospital bed, clearly pregnant._

 _Then surprisingly, she saw Ganabranth holding a small pink bundle: a baby._

 _Ganabranth was kneeling in what looked like a living room, his arms out as a small red-haired baby walked over, the woman smiling in the background._

 _Ganabranth standing in front of a gravestone, the child about 2 in his arms, tears in his muck-green eyes._

 _The child now about 5 in a cell-looking room, facing away from Makayla._

 _The girl about 7 behind Ganabranth's legs as he yelled at someone, the other person's face hidden in shadows._

 _Ganabranth standing above the now-clearly-dead person, a bloody knife in his hand._

 _Ganabranth standing in front of a large cheering crowd in what looked like a large underground cavern, being appointed the leader. The girl was beside him._

 _The girl about 11 training-fighting a man, both with daggers. The girl was winning. Ganabranth was in the background watching with a proud smile._

 _The girl about 14 getting something large branded on the back on her shoulder. Her back was still facing Makayla and she had yet to see her face._

 _Ganabranth hugging the girl, who was now about 16._

 _The girl was at Camp Half-Blood, a strong-looking camper (Makayla guessed Hephaestus's son that Annabeth mentioned) handing the girl a finished sword._

 _The girl standing in front of a war-scene holding 'Desolation', demigods fighting and lifeless bodies scattered everywhere._

 _The girl on the ground. Three strangers stood around her._

 _Ganabranth crying on his knees while holding the girl's lifeless body close to his own, her body covered in cuts and slashes and stab wounds._

 _Ganabranth standing in front of a gravestone beside the first with his hand clenched into a fist, fury blazing his tear-filled eyes._

 _Makayla finally saw the girl's face: her lips in a cruel smirk, her green eyes hard, otherwise looking exactly like her._

 _Then she saw the gravestone. All the words were blurred except for one, one name:_

 _Makayla_

Makayla tore her hand from the blade. The images passed by her eyes in flashes, barely quick enough to see, yet each one was as clear as day. She stumbled back against the wall of the weapons shed, sending weapons clattering to the ground

"Are you okay?!" Jason quickly asked.

"What happened?!" Annabeth asked at the same time. The two quickly rushed forward and grabbed their friend before she fell.

Makayla didn't hear them. Her breathing was fast, eyes wide and heartbeat racing. Her gaze snapped to the sword laying so innocently on the ground. Desolation: its history explained the name. She was so confused about the flashes shown yet… yet she knew exactly what she saw. Just the thought alone…

"She was his daughter." She realized, her wide eyes still on the sword.

"What? Who was whose daughter?" Annabeth asked, confused. Makayla blinked and shook her head as her thoughts ran like hell.

"N- No, no, no y-you don- you don't get it. I-I-It makes so much sense and I never would have guessed! And it's so clear!" Makayla rambled, her mind racing a million miles per hour. Her talking unconsciously began speeding up from excitement as everything began to fall in place. "I- I understand it all now: why he was so focused on me, why he wanted to find camp, why he's so mad all the time, why he uses his knives- it all makes sense! He's so mad about her death that he's trying to find camp to avenge her but he can't find it so he caught me and tried to get me to tell him but I wouldn't say anything so he started hurting me like she hurt but it makes so much sense and I can't believe I didn't see how clear-!"

"MAKAYLA _STOP!"_ Jason grabbed her shoulders to cut off her rant, worried that his friend was ranting gibberish.

"What the Hades are you talking about?" Annabeth added with a worried frown. "Who's he and her and what about camp?"

"I- I- I- I gotta go find Chiron! I gotta tell him what I saw!" Makayla exclaimed. She quickly snatched up the sword and flung open the door of the shed before sprinting out.

Annabeth and Jason exchanged looks.

"Any idea?" Jason wondered. Annabeth shook her head with a shrug.

"I got nothing."

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-seventh chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **So my family came back from their camping trip and doggo and I had to end out slumber party :( It's okay though, we had fun. Also, my dad is taking us to California next week for a week and so in that time, I will be unable to post cuz I'll be busy having THE TIME OF MY LIFE!**

 **Also, more Makayla X Nico friendship in this one! I love those two! Makayla opens up a bit more and Nico starts to let his walls down :D**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla ran out of the armory, Desolation in her hand.

Her mind was racing the full of Hermes; Ganabranth had a daughter?! If those three people had killed her then it was no wonder he was so focused on trying to find Camp Half-Blood. He wanted revenge for the murder of his daughter.

She looked around, not sure where she was going, and decided to go with her default and ran to the Big House. The fates must have felt bad for Makayla in that one moment because she saw the centaur on the porch talking to a clearly-not-interested wine god.

"CHIRON!" She close to screamed, getting the centaur's attention.

Makayla practically fell to her knees when she reached the porch, trying to get air back into her lungs. Her heart was pounding fast from having sprinted with all her speed.

"Makayla? What's wrong my dear?" Chiron worried, concerned why she had been running like the furies were on her heels.

"I have- something really- important to- tell you!" Makayla managed to gasp. After a moment she was able to breathe again and she stood. She then held out the sheathed sword. "Do you recognize this?"

Chiron's eyes widened at the sight of the sword, not bothering to hide his shock. Even Dionysus looked surprised to see it.

"T _hat's_ an old trinket. Surprised the thing's still around." The god said after a moment, pretending he hadn't just been shocked almost speechless.

"Where did you get that?" Chiron demanded warily.

"It was hiding in the weapons shed. Do you know whose it was?" Makayla repeated. Chiron nodded. "Do you know who she was or where she was from?" This time he shook his head.

"I apologize my dear but no one knows. She had said nothing of herself nor her past. I am willing to guess Annabeth told you of her?"

"Yeah. She told me the story but said she didn't know her either. But _I_ know who she was though. And where she's from." Makayla announced. She saw the surprise come to the centaur's face again. Chiron quickly brought Makayla inside and they continued in private.

"How did you figure that out? That girl is a memory that all have gladly forgotten." The centaur almost demanded the answer.

"I touched the sword and I saw these _images_ flash in front of me but I think they weren't just images, I think… I think they were _memories."_ Makayla explained, placing Past Makayla's sword on the table between them. She then explained to Chiron how she and Jason were looking for a sword for her so they can spar, then how Jason found Desolation. She told him how Annabeth told her about Past Makayla and what had happened when she touched the blade. She then recalled the images and how Ganabranth was included.

Saying Chiron was surprised when she told him Past Makayla was actually Ganabranth's secret daughter would be an understatement. After she had finished, the centaur didn't say anything or even move for a good several minutes. When he finally did look up at the waiting redhead, it was with a heavy sigh.

"Are you sure about this, Makayla? Never before has this even been considered." Chiron confirmed. His voice sounded tired but suspicious was there too. The redhead nodded, her eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"I know and I was thinking the same thing." She agreed. "But I think that's on purpose. I mean, I highly doubt Ganabranth would go around saying he had a daughter who was killed by a bunch of demigods. I wouldn't want anyone to know and I don't think he does either. Also I… I think he was trying to forget."

"Why would you say that?" Chiron wondered, curious. He knew that Makayla would know more about Ganabranth more than anyone else seeing as she had (unfortunately) spent the most time with him.

"Well… He didn't say anything about her, that's not a surprise, but when I think about it he rarely called me Makayla except for maybe like… three times. He would always call me by my nickname: Beautiful. And when he did call me Makayla, I noticed but didn't think much of it, but he would try to hide this… this look. At one point he even admitted that he didn't like hurting me and really thinking about it… If I do look like his daughter then he might have felt as if he was hurting her and I don't think anyone would ever want to hurt their child the way he hurt me."

Chiron was secretly surprised by how easily Makayla was talking about Ganabranth; the man who had scarred and poisoned and tortured her for months. But he could see how hard she was thinking about it, how hard she was trying to find the answer.

"My dear... I will give thought to this and do some searching to find if you are right. But for the moment, please try to push this from your mind." Chiron urged gently. He looked outside and saw it was starting to darken. Dinner would be called soon. He turned back to Makayla, who was biting her lip and staring at the sword on the table.

"So much damage and hurt…" She muttered to herself, her swirling eyes locked on the weapon. She slowly brushed her hand over the sheath, the snake obvious underneath her fingers. "It could have been beautiful but it was used for damage instead."

"Then why don't you change its history?" Chiron suggested. She looked up.

"Wait, what?" She frowned, confused.

"The owner had named this sword Desolation because of what it did to Camp Half-Blood. You can create a new story, rename the blade for the use of good. I believe that you can and will do great things but with no way to help yourself…"

Ciron didn't need to continue, Makayla nodded slowly. She stood and picked up the sword. She weighed it in her hand for a moment then unsheathed it. For a moment the blade almost seemed to glow and Makayla's breath was held at the sight.

Despite the obvious years of neglect, the sword's blade still gleamed silver with faint swirling designs etched onto the metal. It was different from the usual Greek style, having a straight blade, but was more beautiful than any other sword Makayla had seen. It fit in her hand as though it were made specifically for her, feeling perfectly balanced.

Makayla's gaze traveled the length before frowning; it didn't look like it should be called a name such as Desolation. Desolation was destruction and destruction brought pain. It was dark but this … it was more like-

 _"Ligero…"_

 _"Light._ Good choice." Chiron approved. Makayla looked up, not aware she had spoken aloud. "Again: you should keep the blade and create a new story for it."

"Alright… if you're sure." She nodded slowly, her purple and silver eyes on the blade. "If only it was a different sheath though."

Chiron glanced at the sheath, seeing the snake.

"Yes, a different one would be nice. I will ask one of the other campers to make a replica." He agreed reasonably.

"I can use this one 'til then. Thank you, Chiron, for listening and not calling me crazy." Makayla gratefully thanked her friend.

"Of course. I understand what you are thinking, Makayla, and it does make sense. But please try to press it from your mind for the time being." Chiron urged gently as Makayla sheathed the sword and buckled it around her waist. "If you will please join me? The games will be starting soon so we best not keep ourselves waiting."

* * *

Makayla was getting tired of her memories.

She felt like some memory would resurface every time she closed her eyes. It was like she wasn't allowed to forget anything. She had tried everything she could think of but despite all her efforts, she couldn't forget her (almost) eighteen years of life. And of course, that night it had to be one of her worst memories.

 _Makayla, Leo, and their mom were in Colorado visiting their very good friend Lillian and her four kids._

 _Makayla was almost two years old and Leo was four. The small family of three had finally saved up all the money needed and flown to Colorado. It was a small little town with a little over four thousand people. Their mom and Leo were out for lunch with Lilian and her two middle kids while little Makayla stayed back with Lillian's oldest and youngest. Makayla and Emily were playing in the front yard of Lillian's house while Steven watched from the porch, occasionally sending a text on his phone._

 _The two young toddlers were playing with blocks and dolls when Makayla suddenly smelt something weird. It smelt like... smoke. Little Emily cried and moved to where Steven was staring at the young redhead with a shocked look of horror._

 _Confused, little Makayla looked down to see the doll that she was holding was burning, large flames eating the doll's dress._

 _Makayla's purple eyes widened and she instinctively flung the doll away from her. The flame-covered toy landed on one of the bushes that ringed the yard and the flames spread. In seconds, the bush was lit. Those flames then leaped to the next bush, then next, then the tree, and it continued until all the plants in the yard were ablaze. The fire spread like water in a rainstorm._

 _Makayla looked over and saw Emily crying and clinging onto Steven's legs. The young adult who talking rapidly into his phone. Then little Makayla heard sirens wailing. She looked around and she saw the flames had gotten to the house and was spreading to the neighbor's yard, moving faster than normal. She tried to crawl over to Steven, who had picked up Emily and was running to the street, but her small hands just spread the fire as flames licked her fingers._

 _The confused toddler looked behind her and saw Lillian's house had completely caught ablaze, flames engulfing the entire building. Makayla crawled to the middle of the street and sat down. She saw that Emily had dropped her doll and Makayla (whose hands were no longer on fire) picked it up, hugging it tightly._

 _In a matter of mere minutes, a dozen houses had caught fire and the flames were still spreading. Firefighters were attempting to put it out but were having no luck; it wasn't normal fire. Little Makayla continued to sit in the street, hugging her doll, watching as the fire consumed the building and houses._

 _In just ten minutes, almost half of the small town was ablaze. People were running around in panic as they screamed for their lost friends or family. Little Makayla was confused. Where were her mom and Leo? Why wasn't she getting hurt? And where did all the fire come from?_

 _A dark figure suddenly appeared in the flames. It looked like an upright shadow but there was no one there to cause it. Its eyes were glowing as it slowly glided over to her, passing through cars and lights. The young redhead watched as it neared her, lips quivering as tears formed._

 _"This is your fault. You could not control your power. Thousands of lives are now destroyed because of you." It said slowly. The shadow's voice was dark and it scared the toddler._

 _Makayla looked around and saw that close to half the town was ablaze. Innocent people screamed and cried and ran as they tried to leave the small city. She squeezed her doll tighter and felt tears coming to her silver eyes as she looked around for her mom and brother._

 _"Momma!" She cried. "Leo!"_

 _"They cannot hear you. You are alone and forever will be. There will come a time when you must face me, the Fates have decreed so and I cannot stop it. But I can break you." The flames were crawling closer and closer towards Makayla as the shadow moved closer until it stood towering over her. "I will forever haunt your mind…"_

 _She screamed._

Makayla jerked up in her bed.

Her heart was pounding out of her chest and her body was trembling, shaking hard enough to see. Looking up, she saw Nico kneeling beside her with his hands on her shoulders; he must have woken her again. Makayla dropped her head in her trembling hands.

"How much did I scream?" She managed to ask, her voice shaking clearly. The son of Hades shook his head sadly.

"Quite a bit. You were muttering and tossing with a really scared look. Then you started screaming. Some campers came over but I sent them away. Another nightmare?" He worried. Makayla nodded.

"One of my worst." She admitted. She was still shaking. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was still up. But it seems like every night you have a bad dream, though." Nico pointed out. Makayla again nodded, wrapping her scarred arms around herself.

"I don't know why. Maybe it's being at Camp Half-Blood around other demigods? Maybe it's just being me? Maybe the universe hates me? I don't know but it's hell. I rarely get any sleep anymore." She sighed miserably. "Nico, I just... I want this all to stop. Not just the nightmares but the memories, the running, the worrying... I would do _anything_ to make it stop."

Nico felt his heart dropped when he thought of a way she could mean that.

"Makayla, you don't mean…" He worried. "Please tell me you're going to-"

Makayla shook her head, cutting him off.

"No. No, as much as I would want to at the moment, I won't. I have too many people in my life I care about. Still… I'd do anything." She assured him.

"I know what you mean." Nico agreed dejectedly. Makayla looked at him with a question in her eyes. "I have nightmares too sometimes. They're not like yours but they're still bad."

Makayla nodded. Her heartbeat was finally beginning to slow down and her trembling had lessened to a shiver. The memory of when she first discovered her powers was one of her least favorites; Leo wasn't the only one who had been afraid of fire. She took a deep breath, trying to stop her shaking hands.

"You okay?" Nico asked her, worry showing in his brown eyes.

"I don't even know. I want to say yes... but I'm not sure if that'd be a lie or not." She yawned, clearly tired from her lack of sleep. The redhead looked and sounded totally exhausted.

"I'm really sorry that this keeps happening but you really should try to get some sleep." The son of Hades suggested.

"I know I should but... I'm scared." The Daughter of Two confessed in a shaky whisper. "Almost every time I try to sleep I have nightmares, horrible memories that scare me so much…"

"I wish I could help. I know nightmares can be scary but you should at least try. You can't stay awake forever."

She reluctantly gave in so the son of Hades stood and moved to go to his bed but her hand suddenly shot out and wrapped around his wrist. Nico looked back with a questioning gaze. He silently noted that her eyes were purple and her cheeks were pink.

"Um... Ca- can- can you s-stay wi-with me? Please?" She stuttered awkwardly, not meeting his gaze.

Said son of Hades's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"You want me to stay?" He clarified. Makayla nodded barely enough to see, her face now completely red. He frowned. "Why?"

"You, um... You make- you make me f- feel... safe. Like all the bad around me isn't- you- it's like it's pushed back." She confessed, her voice quiet and shy.

Yes, Makayla was scared about having nightmares but another one of the reasons she didn't want to go back to sleep was because Nico would go to back his own bed. Whenever the son of Hades was with her, for some reason she felt significantly safer. It was weird; she didn't "like" him, he was just a close friend, but he made her feel protected. It was like the bad that always surrounded her was warded back just like he did with ghosts or the undead.

"Really? Oh. Um, okay. Sure." Nico slowly agreed, even more shocked (if possible). Makayla looked back up in surprise, not expecting him to have agreed.

Nico moved back to her bed as she laid down, ignoring her blanket that was now at the bottom of her bed. He moved to sit but she tugged his arm and Nico's cheeks turned pink as well when he realized what she meant. He slowly moved to lay on his back beside his friend.

Only half-aware of what she was doing, Makayla rolled to her side so she was facing the son of Hades and rested her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest as she nestled beside him. She felt his arm slowly move around her. The movement was a bit hesitant awkward but he did none-the-less.

With a deep blush on both their cheeks, Makayla closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax to the rhythm of Nico's heartbeat.

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-eighth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Only a couple more days 'till my _awesome_ California trip! I'm so excited! We're going to Disney, Midevil Times, Hollywood, all those popular places. My dad was all "We should go again since your younger siblings weren't born yet last time."**

 **Yes, I'm like almost twenty but I'm a total kid at heart and undoubtedly always will be ;)**

 **Also, this chapter is _hella_ important so make sure to read closely!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla was slow to wake.

When she opened her eyes, she noticed three things: One, it was earlier than she normally got up. Two, her head was moving slightly. And three, something was wrapped on her back and shoulders.

"You awake?"

Makayla looked up to see Nico diAngelo, his eyes closed and arm around her. She was extremely flustered when she realized they were laying together on her bed before relaxing, though her cheeks remained pink.

"Obviously. How long have you been up?" She mumbled sleepily. She put her chin on her hand and looked up at him. Nico half-shrugged, eyes still closed.

"Only a few minutes. I didn't want to move and wake you, though." He admitted.

"Aren't you a gentleman." She teased, just barely awake enough to be sarcastic.

"Have any nightmares?"

Makayla paused for a small second when she realized that, for the first time in a long while, she didn't.

"Surprisingly... no. For once my dream wasn't a nightmare." She was happy to admit.

"Really? That's good, its nice you got a break." Her friend told her genuinely.

"Yeah. You were- y-you helped a lot. Thanks, Nico." She thanked shyly.

"What for?" The son of Hades asked, finally opening his brown eyes.

"Fo-F-For a lot of things." Makayla's colored eyes were closed but her cheeks were turning pink again. "For letting me stay in your cabin, for listening, for keeping my secrets, f- for staying with me last night… It- it might sound strange to you but whenever you're around me you- I-I feel like all that bad stuff that happens to me... they all get blocked off, kinda like they're pushed away."

If her eyes were open, she would have seen Nico's surprise.

"Really? I make you feel that way?"

The son of Hades was shocked. No one had ever said those words to him before. Usually, it would be the opposite: people usually felt uncomfortable or uneasy around the son of Hades. Never safe like she had described. And hearing it from Makayla, who had _extremely_ big trust issues, surprised him a lot.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," The redhead told him with her colorful eyes closed. Her head was again resting comfortably on his chest.

Nico felt a smile come to his lips; her words gave him an oddly overwhelming sense of acceptance and gratification. It was strange, the emotions Makayla Valdez gave him. It wasn't like he was complaining or anything though.

"Thank you. I've… nobody's ever said that to me before." He confessed quietly.

"It's a good thing I'm not nobody." She said softly. She felt Nico's arms around her tighten slightly and smiled softly. After a minute she asked, "What time is it?"

Nico sat up a bit to look over at the window, seeing barely any light behind the curtain.

"Not sure. If I had to guess I'd say somewhere between 4:00 and 4:30. So we got a while before we actually have to get up." Nico responded, laying back down. Makayla nodded slowly.

She shifted her position a bit so she was on her side facing Nico. After a moment the son of Hades turned as well, one arm under her head and the other snaking over and around her.

He felt... He wasn't uncomfortable laying with Makayla. True, it didn't feel quite right to him but he knew that she had no romantic feelings for him and Nico accepted his actions as a fact that he was helping his friend. He knew she felt the same as he did. She knew he didn't like her and also accepted that they were just close friends.

Makayla gently snuggled into Nico's embrace, savoring the feeling of protection he gave. For a while, the two just laid in silence. Several times Makayla nearly fell asleep so she gave up, not trying to resist and instead enjoyed the rare moment of peace.

Her eyes closed once again and her mind wandered… off...

The sound of the cabin's water running woke her. Makayla opened her eyes and saw that she was now alone in her bed. It was a safe guess to assume Nico was in the shower.

She had a debate on whether or not to go back to sleep before deciding she was hungry and swung her legs over the side of her bed, stretching her arms. She was digging through her clothes when she heard the shower shut off. A minute later, Nico walked out while using a towel to dry his hair.

"You fall asleep really fast." He said as a greeting. Makayla chuckled.

"Well, believe it or not, it's been a long time since I slept without either waking up screaming or in a cold sweat. It was a nice change. By the way, how'd you get up without waking me up?"

"You were sleeping pretty deep and I just slipped out. I'm honestly kinda surprised you didn't wake up; I wasn't exactly being stealthy." He told her with a shrug.

Makayla threw the clothes she picked onto her bunk and moved the curtain to block off the two sides of the cabin.

"As I said: that was one of the first times I didn't have a nightmare." She repeated, changing from her nightclothes. "I savored it."

"I know. But... did you honestly not have bad dreams just because I was next to you?" Nico asked, sounding a little reluctant to hear the answer. He couldn't see Makayla nod.

"Yeah. You really did help, Nico. I know people don't usually tell you this kind of thing but it's true." She told him as she finished changing. Whatever Nico was going to say was cut off by a knock on the cabin door.

Pulling her red hair from her shirt, Makayla walked over and opened the door. Half-expecting it to be Ashlyn or Will, she was surprised to see Jason Grace standing there.

"Hi, Jason." She greeted. Jason smiled.

"Hey, Makayla. How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Pretty good actually."

"Awesome. Is Nico here?"

"Yeah. Nico?" Makayla called, waving him over. The son of Hades moved to over.

"What's up?" He too was a little surprised to see Jason but was happy to see his friend.

"Chiron called a meeting for the cabin counselors and he asked me to come to get you." The son of Jupiter explained. Nico nodded and grabbed his shoes.

"Why did he need to call a meeting?" Makayla wondered curiously, leaning against the doorway. The blond shrugged.

"He didn't say. Just that it was important," He admitted. Nico finished putting his shoes on and Makayla watched as the two walked off.

"Bye Makayla!" Jason called. She waved before sighing.

Alone it is.

* * *

Makayla was helping with the dishes.

Ashlyn, Nico, Jakob, and Leo were busy with their demigod training. She had practiced with her sword for two hours earlier but not having anyone to spar with, she got bored pretty fast. So, having nothing else that Will Solace would allow her to do, she decided to help in the kitchens.

She was helping Katie Gardener, a daughter of Demeter. It was right after lunch so there were lots of plates, bowls, and utensils but for some reason, they had to wash the dishes in lava. She had seen weirder so she didn't complain except to point out that if one of them got splashed or sprayed, they would be in some serious trouble. The two girls were chatting like old friends; Katie was pretty chill and fun to be around and Makayla grew a liking of her.

"Oh no! I forgot to turn off one of the heating lamps! My plants will burn! I'll be right back, I promise." Katie told Makayla.

"Hahaha okay. We'll be waiting." The redhead joked, holding up the lava-covered plate she was rinsing.

Katie giggled then quickly left the kitchen. Makayla smiled then went to dry off some plates, humming one of her favorite songs. She stacked several plates and slipped off the gloves, carrying the dishes over to one of the cabinets.

"It's good to see you again, Beautiful. I was getting worried."

Makayla's silver eyes widened and she gasped. The plates slipped from her numb fingers, crashing and breaking against the floor.

"No…" She denied, her voice shaking like an earthquake.

A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and spun her around and Makayla found herself looking into an all-too-familiar pair of muck-green eyes.

"Yes! I'm back!" Ganabranth exclaimed in his sickly-cheerful voice.

Makayla could do nothing stare in shocked horror.

How did he find her?! Camp was supposed to be a haven for demigods! Makayla had been running for _months_ to get away from him. She had just been getting used to having a calm and happy life (for a demigod) with her brother and friends yet somehow Ganabranth managed to find her again! All of her running, hiding, and fighting… for nothing.

"H- How did y- how did you f- fi- find me?" Makayla stuttered, still frozen in terror. Ganabranth smirked but it didn't reach his eyes. He drummed his fingers on her shoulders.

"It really wasn't that hard, Beautiful. Any demigod can enter Camp Half-Blood. And I've always known where you are; I've been watching you." Ganabranth paused then frowned. "Damn that sounded pretty creepy."

 _'You are creepy!'_ Makayla wanted to shout. But she couldn't. She couldn't say anything as tears began to trace down her cheek. If he could enter Camp Half-Blood, a haven, then she wasn't safe anywhere.

"Don't cry!" Ganabranth exclaimed in false surprise. "I won't leave you like last time- wait, I didn't leave you. _You_ left _me_ and that wasn't very nice because I rather like you."

"This is a dream," The redhead muttered wide bright silver eyes, still terrified. "Th-This is a dream, I-I'm asleep. This isn't real."

"Oh, I assure you this is very real and we are gonna have lots of fun together. After all, we missed a bunch when you left."

Ganabranth's voice held a cruel joy and Makayla's eyes widened even more, knowing what his words meant. She immediately tried to break away but he was stronger than she was.

Then Makayla felt something weird in her chest: it felt as though there was something inside of her wanting to be released. It was a sensation she had never felt before but somehow, it was strangely familiar; it felt like a part of her had been asleep forever and had just now woken up.

Desperate for anything to help her, she reached inside herself and grabbed ahold of the feeling.

A rush of energy unlike anything she had felt before surged through her body and her palms began to glow silver. Going off unconscious instinct, Makayla placed her hands out in front of her, facing Ganabranth. The Serpent's Leader looked confused for a moment but then his eyes widened; he knew what she was doing.

But before he could do or say anything, a huge blast of silver exploded and threw him back. The explosion sent him smashing against the far wall, plates, and cups falling and crashing everywhere. Makayla stared with wide eyes.

Then realizing Ganabranth was stunned, she turned and ran out the door.

* * *

 **And that concludes the twenty-ninth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advice, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Guess what? Me, my dad, and a couple of my siblings are going on vacation for Spring Break! I'm actually for real excited cuz we're actually going somewhere fun. Cuz we're going to Disney Land all the way in California! USA BABY! I'm sooo excited! We get to go to Disney, Midevil Times, beaches, all those cool places! I live in a land-blocked city so I've only been to a beach twice before and the first time I was like three. So I'm super pumped!**

 **The only downside is I'm a natural redhead so my skin is so sensitive to the sun and California is supposedly really sunny and hot. So I'm not excited about the upcoming sunburns that are bound to appear...**

 **Anyway! Chapter time!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla ran down the road.

She had tears in her colored eyes but didn't let them fall. She wanted so badly to turn around to Camp Half-Blood. She wanted to go back and tell Leo she didn't want to run anymore, she wanted to tell Jakob she wanted to start a life, she wanted to tell Ashlyn she wanted a home where she could stay. But… she knew that if she did then those there would suffer. Ganabranth would stop at nothing to get to her and she refused to let anyone get hurt for her; not anymore. Makayla shook her head and continued to run, the blood of Hermes increasing her speed.

She wasn't sure how long she ran but after what felt like forever, New York City came into view. Makayla was glad to see people but she continued on into and past the city.

Minutes turned to hours

Hours turned to days

Days turned to regrets

For days she walked and ran and she didn't stop. Past shops and alleys, past neighborhoods and farmland, past freeways and backroads, Makayla kept moving. If she wanted to eat then she'd eat on the road, if she wanted to sleep then she'd hitchhike and sleep in the car. She didn't stop.

Makayla found herself in Maryland on her third day. She was wandering through some town when she noticed a small café hidden away in a corner so she went inside. She collapsed in an empty chair and put her head on the table, completely exhausted. Her eyes began to feel heavy and she closed her eyes… just for a second...

"Excuse me, ma'am? Ma'am, wake up."

Makayla opened her eyes, feeling someone shaking her shoulder gently. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Looking around she saw she was still at the small café. She must have fallen asleep.

"I'm sorry to wake you, ma'am, but it's eight o'clock at night." The person who woke her said. Eight o'clock?

Makayla looked around to see that it was indeed significantly darker than when she first arrived and there were fewer people out. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"No, it's okay. Thanks actually. I only meant to rest for a few minutes but I guess I was too tired." She explained, brushing her red hair from her face.

"Makayla?!" The person exclaimed. Makayla looked in surprise up to see her old friend Adam Corbin standing above her.

"Adam!" She stood up and wrapped her arms around her friend. Adam eagerly returned the hug. "Wha-? What are you doing here?"

"I was meeting up with some friends. I was just about to leave when I saw a random pretty redhead sleeping on a table." He explained with a grin. "I didn't see you when I came in but now that it's pretty dark there isn't anyone else here."

Makayla looked around to see that it was, in fact, dark out. She must have slept much longer than intended. Understandable as all that running and causing that weird silver blast against Ganabranth the other day really drained her.

Ganabranth!

She was running from him. He came to Camp Half-Blood a few days ago to bring her back but she ran so he _had_ to have been looking for her. He had mentioned before that he had always known where she had been. So does that mean he knew where she was now? If so then why didn't he take her? Fingers snapped in front of Makayla's face.

"Makayla? You in there?" Adam asked, his dark brown eyes curious.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry, I zoned out. Um… it was amazing to see you again, Adam, but I really need to go." Makayla said, pulling back from the embrace. The look on her friend's face made her want to take it back but she knew she had to leave. She was a danger to everyone everywhere so that meant she had to be constantly moving.

"Do- do you have to? Can't you at least come to say hi first? Mom, dad, and Anna would be so happy to see you again."

"I really want to Adam, honest, but I have to go."

"Alright. Where are you staying? Maybe we can meet later?"

"Ummm… I don't actually… " Makayla trailed off, a bit embarrassed.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Adam wondered.

"Um… Do you want to harsh truth or the comforting lie?" Makayla bit her lip

"Makayla- actually, you know what? Never mind. Cuz you're coming home with me." Adam announced with finality.

 _"What!"_ Makayla exclaimed. "No, no, no! I can't do that!"

"Why not?" Her friend retorted. She wanted to say that she'd be putting everyone in danger but Adam would ask how and she would have to explain all about Ganabranth and demigods and all that. So instead she said nothing. "Exactly. I'm not going to let my childhood friend sleep outside when we have an extra room at my place. Come on."

Adam grabbed Makayla's hand in his and dragged her with him. Makayla wanted to let go but her hand wouldn't listen to her brain. So she sighed and followed her friend down the roads of Baltimore. She wished she could enjoy being with Adam as it had been years since she saw him that wasn't in a room engulfed in flames. She started tracing the scars on her arm as Adam led her down the sidewalk before realizing that he hadn't said a word about her scars yet.

"Adam, can you see these?" She asked, pointing to the scars on her arm.

"See what, your arms? Yes, I can see them." Adam responded, raising an eyebrow.

"No. My scars." Makayla clarified

"Nooo... The only scar I see is that one on your cheek." He told her.

Makayla looked around at the people around her and saw no one giving her a second glance. She sighed in relief; so no one could see her scars and she knew because of the mist that her sword was hidden as well. While she thought, Adam called out a taxi and gave an address. The driver agreed and the two climbed in. They drove for about ten minutes before they seemed to arrive.

"Are we there yet?" Makayla asked when they left the taxi.

"Hahaha! You sounded like a whiny kid." Adam laughed, paying the driver before they left. Makayla couldn't help but smile at her friend's laugh.

"Well sorry, but my feet hurt." She said, her feet seriously aching from walking and running for so long. She had begun to get used to walking the short distance of Camp Half-Blood.

"We're almost there. I do have a question though."

"Shoot."

"How _did_ you get that scar in your jaw? You didn't have it last time I saw you." Adam asked, excluding the time in their dreams. Makayla said nothing for a minute, the memories flooding back. She pushed them from her mind as she thought of an answer for her friend.

"It's a really long story." She settled on.

"Can I at least have a summary?" Adam knew that if Makayla didn't want to tell the story then there was no chance he'd get it. He was still curious.

"Um, I got scraped up pretty bad," Makayla said, half lying. Adam nodded, believing it.

"Well! Here we are!" He announced after a minute. Makayla looked up to see they were in front of a fancy apartment-like hotel and they walked into the main office. The inside was amazing, with columns along the side and a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. There were a few people hanging out in the lobby chatting with men in fancy uniforms. Adam walked over to the front desk, pulling Makayla with him as he still held her hand.

"Hey, Archie." Adam greeted the man at the desk.

"Mr. Corbin. It's good to see you. And who might this young lady be?" Archie asked.

"She's an old friend I ran into. Has my mom's package come in yet?" Adam asked.

"Indeed it has. I actually sent it over just a few minutes ago."

"Okay, thanks."

Archie nodded then returned his attention to the computer screen. Adam led Makayla over to a side door that led to a large parking lot.

"You seem popular." Makayla teased as they walked across the small lot, past several cars, towards a row of motel rooms.

"Yeah. Mom's out looking for a job to help dad and Anna usually plays at a friend's so I got nothing to do." Her friend told her. Before Makayla could respond, they reached the door of one of the rooms. Adam pulled out a key and unlocked the door.

Makayla was suddenly nervous. What if his family didn't remember her? Would they think her a stranger and make her leave? It had been years since she last saw them. Or what if they were mad at her for not saying goodbye when she left?

"Hey. You'll be fine; we've all missed you." Adam assured her when he noticed her expression, squeezing her hand. Makayla managed a smile. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.

"I'm home!" He called as if were a habit.

"That you, Adam?" Makayla heard someone call as the door slammed shut behind them. Even though it had been a while, she recognized the gentle voice of Adam's mom, Marian.

"Yeah. And I brought home a random stranger I saw asleep on one of the tables." Adam replied, giving Makayla a wink. Then a short, black-haired six year old came running into the room.

"Adam! Adam! Adam! Guess what I found today!" Anna exclaimed, jumping into her brother's arms as Adam took his hand from Makayla's and grabbed his sister.

"Tell me, tell me, tell me!" He told her, tossing her in the air.

"I found a butterfly!" She exclaimed happily as her brother caught her.

"No way!" Adam also exclaimed over-dramatically.

"Yeah! It was really pretty and had big yellow wings and- *gasp* KENNA!" Anna squealed when she saw Makayla, using the redhead's old Alias. The young child wiggled out of Adam's arms and threw herself into the redhead's embrace. "Kenna, I missed you! I missed you a lot!"

"Anna! It's so good to see you again. I missed you too. Wow, you've gotten so big!" Makayla laughed, hugging the young brunette. She was definitely surprised that the young child remembered her.

"Makenna? Is that really you?"

Makayla looked up to see Marian standing in shock. She set Anna down just in time to get crushed by Marian's hug. "Oh goodness, it's been so long! How are you? Did you find a good family to live with?"

"It's great to see you too Mrs. Corbin- Marian." Makayla corrected herself when she saw the stern look on the older woman's face. "I've really missed you too. And yes, I'm alright. I didn't find a family to live with but I did find my brother. We were staying at this summer camp for a while."

"I'm so happy you're alright," Marian said with a huge smile on her face.

"Kenna guess what? Adam had a dream about you!" Anna announced. Makayla decided she would let them call her Makenna for a while longer. "Mommy says it's cute but _I_ think it's gross."

Makayla couldn't help but laugh at the blush on Adam's face. Of course, she knew he had dreamed of her as she had been in the same dream of the burning room. She neglected to mention that fact as it would only raise questions.

"Is that so? Well, I think I might have to agree with you, Anna. It is pretty creepy to dream about someone then see them a few days later." Makayla teased. Anna laughed as Adam's blush deepened. Makayla nudged him with her elbow. "Oh lighten up. I'm just kidding! It's actually pretty sweet."

Despite the smile in his face, Makayla saw the confused look in Adam's eyes and she realized he was wondering if he had made the dream up or not. She caught his brown eyes in her purple and silver. Makayla was going to look back but she found her eyes locked on Adam's, unable to break her gaze. His hand unconsciously and slowly slipped into Makayla's, neither of them noticing.

"Okay, come on you two love birds. It may be late but we're still having dinner." Marian's voice snapped the two from their daze. Adam led Makayla into the kitchen, where the smell of pasta made her hungry.

"I'm not complaining." Makayla smiled. Marian smiled and handed her a plate piled with noodles. The redhead smiled and sat at the table. Soon the others had plates and they were all eating in comfortable silence. Makayla smiled, having missed the homey feeling the small family gave her.

"Hey, mom. Should I go get Alex?" Adam asked, his plate empty for the second time before the others were half done. Marian thought for a moment before answering.

"No, let him sleep. He was whiny earlier and it took about ten minutes to fall asleep." Adam nodded at his mother's words then moved to get thirds.

 **_x_xX_xXx_Xx_x_**

"You can stay here for the night. Adam and Anna are right across the hall and Eric and I are at the end." Makayla smiled as she stepped into the room Marian was lending her. It was simple with a bed and small nightstand. There were several stacks of boxes and holiday decorations. "Sorry for the boxes. We use this as our storage area for the time being.

"It's perfect. Thank you again for letting me stay the night." Makayla told her friend. Marian smiled and handed her a few blankets and pillow.

"I would never have forgiven him if Adam had just left you alone like that." She said seriously. Makayla chuckled. "Goodnight my dear. I'll see you in the morning."

Marian hugged her once before stepping out to close the door. Makayla set the blankets on the bed and unbuckled _Ligero_ and leaned it against the wall beside her bed. She was honestly still surprised and slightly confused that she had gotten no comments or questions the sword. She knew the Mist was strong but she didn't think it was strong enough to make something invisible. As she nursed the thought, she reached into her backpack to grab another pair of clothes. She put on a pair of shorts and was about to slip her tank-top on when a voice behind her said,

"Isn't that a stylish outfit?"

Startled, Makayla spun around, throwing the pillow she instinctively grabbed at her owner of the voice. The soft lump hit Adam directly in his face and he was knocked to his butt by the strength of the throw.

"Damn, you're strong." He muttered on the ground, the pillow on his face.

"Sorry! Sorry, you startled me, I didn't see you." Makayla said, rushing over and reaching her hand out to help him up.

She blushed slightly as she saw he too wasn't wearing a shirt, though it had been in his hand before he was knocked to the ground. Adam chuckled at her blush. Instead of standing up, he yanked Makayla's arm and pulled her down on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her as she tried to glare at him but the blush on her cheeks made it hard as she felt his bare skin pressed against her own.

 _'Isn't his familiar...'_ Makayla thought as she remembered the two other times this had happened to her. Then her heart ached slightly as she remembered Jakob, then Leo, then Ashlyn, then everyone at Camp Half-Blood. She felt Adam sit up and get to his feet, helping her up as well. Then he rubbed back of his neck sheepishly.

"Uh, I'm- I'm sorry. I really didn't mean that. Sorry." He apologized.

"No, it's fine," Makayla told him. Her face was equally red as she thought of what just happened. Adam was really good but Makayla had to admit Jakob's kisses were better, though it was very close. Then she mentally frowned. Now she was comparing the two boys' kissing skills?

"Um, you need anything else?" Adam asked. Makayla smiled then shook her head.

"No, I think I'm good. Thanks though."

"Sure." The two stood again in awkward silence for a minute. "Um, I should probably let you get some sleep now..." Adam turned to leave but Makayla grabbed his arm. He turned around for with a questioning gaze. Makayla then kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Adam." She said after pulling back. A goofy grin slid across Adam's lips.

"Course. Night." Adam said. With that he turned and left, closing the doors behind him.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-first chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I'm baaack! And I had the most awesome time on my vacation! We went to the beach the first day I got a second degree burn on my shoulders and back so that's fun. Can't lay down or lean on anything. Hurts and can't wear a bra or anything form-fitting or made of rougher material. So I can't wear my favorite flannel shirt :'( But other than that it was awesome!**

 **We went to Knott's Berry amusement park the next day and had an _AMAZING_ time. The roller coasters were SOOO big and fast! One went from 0.0 - 80.2 mph in... I think it said like 2 seconds! O_O My littlest brother actually peed his pants too. It was hilarious. I made so many memories and even saw someone from back home XD**

 **Yesterday we went to Disney Land and met a bunch of the characters and saw a bunch of the originals they had when the park was first built, including Walt Disney's old apartment (I have a bunch of pictures on my Snapchat and Instagram so if you wanna see then just shoot me a private message (PM) and I'll share my account name)**

 **Just earlier today we went to Disney's California Adventure and that was even _more_ awesome! The rides were bigger and were focused on the newer movies and themes. I had so much fun! They also renovated a bunch of the really old ones. There was this old ride called the Tower Of Terror, haunted type ride, but they changed to the newer Guardians Of The Galaxy since Disney bought Marvel. The same type of ride just a different theme.**

 **But! I doubt you came to hear about my trip (if you did though then you're pretty awesome) so TO THE STORY!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla dreamt of the past.

 _She was back in Camp Half-Blood and she recognized it as right after she had blown Ganabranth into the lake and left. She saw Leo, Ashlyn, and Jakob standing in shock where they had before, staring in the direction she had run off in._

 _"Makayla!" Leo shouted as he shook himself from his daze. He moved as if to run after her but Jakob and Ashlyn grabbed him before he could._

 _"Leo stop! You can't follow her!" Ashlyn told him. Tears were forming in her brown eyes._

 _"To_ hell _I can't! She's my sister! I just got her back and I swear to_ f*cking god _I am_ not _going to lose her again!" Leo argued angrily._

 _"He wants you to follow her, don't you get it?!" Jakob told the son of Hephaestus. "He knows you would go straight to her and that's just what he wants. I want to go after her too but we'd be playing straight into his hands."_

 _"And here I was thinking I was being pretty sneaky with my plans," Ganabranth complained, appearing in front of the three. Makayla wanted to punch that man's face into his skull but she knew this was a dream of the past so she couldn't do anything._

 _"You're as sneaky as a bullet train." Ashlyn spat. "You won't get Makayla."_

 _The older man gave them a smirk, an evil glint in his eyes._

 _"You sure about that? All I need to do is snap my fingers and I can call her right here to my side. She'd have no way to stop herself." He told them, holding up his hand with his fingers ready to snap. Makayla's heart skipped a beat at his words._

 _"Then why don't you?" Leo growled, hands smoking. "If it's so easy then do it."_

 _"Pft! Where's the fun in that? This game is just starting to get interesting so why would I do something to ruin it?" Ganabranth said with a smirk, crossing his arms._

 _"You think this is some kind of game?! How twisted_ are _you?!" Jakob's voice was filled with disgust. Ganabranth pretended to think for a moment._

 _"I don't think it is, it just is. And I honestly don't know."_

 _"You probably think you're perfectly normal, don't you? That you're doing this for some good reason?" Ashlyn growled._

 _"Oh no, sweetheart, I_ know _I'm insane. Full on crazy over here! I'm a f*cking nut job." Ganabranth admitted with a genuine chuckle._

 _"Whatever kind of game you think this is, you won't win," Leo told him seriously. "We'll stop you before your next move."_

 _"There you go! Getting into the game spirit!" Ganabranth applauded with a mock-clap._

 _Makayla wondered why her friends and brother were talking pointlessly but then she realized they were trying to buy her some time. She never wanted to hug her brother more than she did now._

 _"Anyway. I came here and tried a frontal attack. Young Miss Beautiful ran, thus ending my turn. Now it's your move. Time for the hundred dollar question: will you risk an attack or will you stop to plan?"_

 _With that question, Ganabranth disappeared._

But so did Makayla.

 _She shot through the darkness before finding herself tied back down to a familiar metal table. Her eyes were quickly turning silver as she struggled against the bonds. The door slammed open with a loud bang, causing Makayla to flinch. The tape on her mouth blocked her speech. Ganabranth stormed over to Makayla. He slammed his hands down on the table._

 _"Where is it?! And this time you had better tell me the truth." He demanded. Makayla's white eyes were wide as she tried to talk but the tape on her mouth blocked her speech. Ganabranth frowned. Not bothering with gentle, he grabbed the tape and ripped it off. Makayla held back a shout of pain. "Where. Is. It?"_

 _The fire in his eyes made Makayla want to cry from fear. A part in the back of her mind frowned. She didn't remember this ever happening yet it had to have; it was too alike and similar to her other memories._

 _"I- I don't- I don't know." She replied honestly._

 _"Come on, you were going there before I caught you! Where is the_ blasted _camp?!"_

 _"I don't know where I was going! I was just following what my father sent me! It left after a few days and I- I just kept going! I don't know where it is!" Makayla exclaimed._

 _"Damn it, you're telling the truth." Ganabranth cursed. Makayla could just nod. He turned and flipped over a nearby table, sending it flying across the room and smashing against the far wall. Makayla's eyes widened but fear appeared when he took one of the daggers from his belt._

 _"Here's how we're going to do this. You are going to find a way to talk to your big daddy up there and tell him to send something to help you. If he asks how you'll use it or find it or whatever, you're going to tell him that you're about to escape and need something to guide you. Got it?" He asked, the dagger tip pressed against her side._

 _"He won't answer, I've been trying!" Makayla told him honestly. Ganabranth narrowed his green eyes._

 _"I think you'll find a way." He said._

 _He jabbed into Makayla's upper arm, pulling a scream from the redhead. It wasn't deep enough to cause lasting damage but deep enough to cause a lot of pain. He pulled the knife down her arm, cutting a gash from her elbow to her wrist but Makayla was unconscious from the pain before he got halfway. Ganabranth pulled the dagger out and wiped it with a small cloth from his belt before sheathing it. Makayla's arm was bleeding profusely._

 _"Sleep tight Beautiful. We have a big day tomorrow."_

* * *

When Makayla awoke, she felt something familiar yet different.

She looked up to see the sleeping face of Adam Corbin. Questions swam through her mind. How did Adam get here and why is he sleeping with her?! She didn't remember him coming to the room or getting into the bed with her bed. She moved to get up but Adam's arm, which was around her, pulled her back down.

"Noooo. Stay." Adam mumbled, his voice sounding much clearer than it normally would. Makayla realized that he was awake and, judging from his breathing, had been for a while.

Adam pulled her back down, pulling her close to himself. The thought caused Makayla to blush. She felt Adam kiss her forehead and she realized with small surprise that this was the third time she fell asleep with someone, each time with a different boy. She mentally shook her head. How Ashlyn would tease her if she ever found out.

Makayla broke free from Adam's embrace as she shot up in the bed. Her dream: Ganabranth's talking to Leo, Jakob, and Ashlyn… her eyes widened and her skin paled as she remembered the conversation.

 _'All I need to do is snap my fingers and I can call her right here to my side. She'd have no way to stop herself.'_

 _'Then why don't you?'_

 _'This game is just starting to get interesting. Why ruin it?'_

Ganabranth was playing with her. He knew exactly what she was doing and where she was. He could take her at any time he wanted. But… he won't.

"He thinks this is all a game." She muttered.

"Makayla, are you okay?" Makayla was snapped from her thoughts by Adam's question. He too had sat up and was watching her with a worried expression. In a different situation, she would have blushed at the sight of Adam's bare chest.

"Y- Yeah. I'm fine. I was... I was just thinking." She told him. Adam raised an eyebrow at her.

"Must have been pretty deep thoughts to have shot up like you were tasered with an expression like that." He commented. Makayla blushed slightly but she didn't realize or care.

"It was nothing." She insisted. Adam sighed in exasperation. He turned her to face him.

"Makayla, just stop. I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you. Tell me what's wrong, you can trust me" He said seriously.

Makayla bit her lip. If she told him her dream she would have to explain everything and she really wasn't in the mood to be talking for an hour about Greek gods and an evil gang kidnapping and torturing her.

 _"_ Holy _sh*t!"_

Makayla looked up to see Adam staring at her, eyes wide, scrambling away. She looked down at her arms and had to cover her mouth to hold back a scream. All her scars were visible and the snake was glowing.

With her silver eyes wide with fear she quickly jumped from the bed to find that, yes, all along her body her snake scar was glowing with the same dark purple color. She really was starting to hate purple.

"No. No, no, no, this can't be happening." Makayla muttered, staring in horror at her arms and legs. "No, this can't- he said- he said he wasn't going to call me back... He- he said he was waiting, he was-"

"Makayla, what the hell is going on?" Adam demanded, cutting her off, still staring at her in shocked horror. He looked more confused than disgusted now. "What are you talking about? Why is your skin glowing? Why is your body covered in marks?!"

Makayla tried to think of something to say but before she could talk a sharp pain hit her head and she collapsed, holding back a scream. The pain was strange and foreign yet also familiar, like this happened before but she couldn't remember when.

 _'I did say I wouldn't call you back but I didn't say I wasn't going to have some fun.'_

A voice echoed in her head, a voice that made Makayla's eyes widen and turn pure white.

"How- how are- how are you in my head?" Makayla stuttered. Then anger flared. "Why can't you just leave me alone?! I didn't do anything to you! Why do you keep hurting me?!"

 _'That's a stupid question.'_ Ganabranth's said, almost sounding disappointed she asked. _'There are many reasons but the main two answers are simple: one, you're born with the blood of two gods inside you.'_

"And? What does that have to do with anything?" Makayla demanded. She could see the confused and worried face of Adam watching her.

 _'Awww! Your boy-toy-number-two is worried about you. How sweet. But again: stupid question.'_ He replied. _'The blood of two gods makes you close to the strongest and most powerful demigod ever born and thought of having that power, plus what I have now, is very appealing and tempting. Why do you think I was so focused on breaking you personally? It's a lot harder taking powers and abilities from someone who wants to stay alive.'_

"You're insane," Makayla muttered as the truth of how twisted Ganabranth was began to settle in. Said man's laugh echoed in her mind.

"Makayla. What is going on?" Adam demanded. She opened her mouth to answer but she felt another sharp jab in her mind.

 _'Ah, ah, ah! No telling anyone; this is our conversation. He most likely just thinks you're going crazy. And I really hope you're not just now noticing that cuz even I admit I'm twisted. Oh, and the second reason why I'm focused on you: by hurting you I'm hurting your brother and by hurting him, it's hurting Camp Half-Blood.'_

"And why do you care about them?" Makayla was confused by the comment. She could almost see Ganabranth's gaze darkening. The voice echoing in her mind turned sour and hard.

 _'They killed my only daughter. So why not hurt that family as they did me?'_ Ganabranth then seemed eager to change the topic. _'But enough about me. It's actually time for me to go. Sorry, beautiful, but it takes time to plan a move. This game is getting quite interesting and dangerous after all and I love dangerously interesting. Don't worry; we'll see each other again soon.'_

With a final stab of pain, Ganabranth left Makayla's mind and the glow faded from her scar.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-second chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **So I'm f*cking hella sick right now. Like sick enough to sleep for 26 hours without waking once. I'm congested so I can't breathe well, my allergies are acting up so my eyes hurt like hell, I can't stop coughing... gods this is sh*t. If anyone knows any remedies _please_ let me know. It's been like 5 days X_X**

 **Anyway. Sickness is not the topic here. I am here to entertain you with drama, danger, dramatic-romance, friendship, and angst!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

"Makayla, I will ask again. What the hell just happened?"

Makayla was still on the floor, in shock as she tried to register what she heard. Adam sighed in frustration. He had been pacing around the room for a minute now trying to figure out what just happened but she just wouldn't say anything!

The demigod was too deep in shock, sitting on her knees with her eyes locked on the wooden floor. Adam sighed and knelt down in front of her. He hesitated then took her scarred hands in his own. After a moment Makayla looked up and he saw her colored eyes were like water; even the smallest touch would ruin them.

"Makayla, I want to help you but I also want to know what just happened. This is totally confusing and weird and I have no idea what just happened. Please tell me?" He almost pleaded. Makayla sighed very heavily. If she told Adam then she would have to say everything. She pulled Adam's arm until he sat on the ground in front of her.

"Alright, I'll tell you." She relented. "But you better listen close because it's a lot to explain so I'm only saying this once."

And so she told him. She told him about the gods being real, her parentage, running after Leo after their mom died. After a small pause, she even told her friend about her time running, being caught by Ganabranth, finding Camp Half-Blood, then finally running after Ganabranth appeared there. She tried to explain it to Adam in a way that wouldn't make him _too_ overwhelmed but she didn't seem to be doing a very good job. After Makayla had finished, it was about a full two, almost three, minutes before Adam said anything.

"Uhhh… I, uh. I… wow. I- I have no idea what to say to that." He finally responded. Makayla smiled sourly.

"I didn't either at first but it made more sense the longer I thought about it." She admitted.

"I guess. Thinking back to before, it explains a lot about you now." Adam admitted

"Exactly. One more thing."

"Yeah?"

"You have to swear that you will never ever tell anyone what I just told you," Makayla said. Adam looked into her eyes and saw she was dead serious.

"Wait, you're serious? I just found out that gods from Greek mythology are real and you were tortured by some evil gang leader and you want me to not say anything?" He clarified.

"Yes."

"Makayla, I have never kept anything a secret from my mom. We both know that. And this… this is huge!"

"I know, but the monsters will and get you if you do. My being with you is bad enough but the more people who know, the more likely the monsters will be able to find you." Makayla said honestly but quietly. Adam took a deep breath before looking back into her eyes.

Even after years of knowing her, he never got tired of them: her eyes were mesmerizing to watching, seeing the colors change with her emotions. He used to mess with her to watch her eyes change. He had never figured out what color went with what emotion but right now… now there was a combination of both purple and silver, mixed together in a swirling sort of way. That was the only color he figured out: her emotions were everywhere.

"Fine. I won't tell anyone." He relented with a sigh.

"Promise?" Makayla held out her pinky.

"I promise." Adam agreed with a small grin, wrapping his pinky around her's. Then the alarm from the clock sounded and he jumped like he was tasered. Makayla giggled as he turned it off. Adam smiled for a second but then his smile faded.

"What's wrong?" Makayla asked, seeing the smile fade.

"Makayla, what you said… it's crazy. I'm not sure if I can even believe it." Her friend told her. "It's not that I don't trust you, cuz I really do, but gods and titans and evil gangs and monsters… it just doesn't make sense."

Makayla placed her hands in Adam's.

"I know it's hard to believe but it's all true. I'm a part of this world very few people know about. I'm the daughter of an Olympian: a Greek god. Well, technically two gods, but you can see my body." Makayla paused. "I'm not expecting you to believe everything or even half of it. I'm just saying what happened-"

"Makenna! Adam! Wake up you two! You're gonna miss breakfast if you don't hurry!"

Marian's voice suddenly called, interrupting.

Adam sighed and stood, holding a hand out to help Makayla up. Slipping a shirt on, Makayla and Adam exited the room. He slipped into his room to put his own shirt on then the two went to the kitchen where they saw Marian, Anna, baby Alex, and Adam's dad, Eric, waiting. Anna and Eric were already stuffing their mouths with pancakes while Marian was at the stove making more.

"Good morning you two. I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to come out." The mother greeted. "I have some hot ones coming in a sec if you're willing to wait."

Makayla smiled. No one said anything about her scars so Makayla guessed they were once again invisible. She heard a 'clink' and looked over to see Eric had dropped his fork and was staring at her in shock. Slowly he stood from his seat and walked over to her. He then grabbed her arm and yanked her into a tight hug.

"Makenna… Marian had said… I almost didn't believe her." He said, voice barely audible.

"Yeah, I'm back." Makayla smiled, returning his hug.

"Wha- where were you?" He held her out at arm's length. "My god, you've grown so much! You're nearly twice as tall! No wonder Adam's so flustered, you're _gorgeous!"_

Makayla blushed at the praise but giggled and thanked him.

"Ew! Daddy, you're married!" Anna squealed. Eric laughed, ruffling her black hair.

"Yes, I am sweetie. C'mon, don't just stand there like a stranger." He sat down, gesturing to a seat between him and Adam. Makayla smiled, sitting between the two, and Marian placed a plate piled with pancakes in front of her.

"Voila! Here you go." She announced. Makayla laughed and dug in. The small family of 5 added Makayla like she was a part of it.

She told them vaguely of her finding Leo and staying at a Camp and the Corbin's told her of what had happened in their life. Makayla met baby Alex and fawned over him for a good while. They had agreed to go to the park that day and invited Makayla along. At first, the demigod was worried about going for fear of Ganabranth having spies looking for her but once Anna and Adam pulled the puppy eyes, she was a goner. So she grabbed her sword and backpack and agreed. The family found their Frisbees and headed out.

The Corbin's had found a large open park with a playset. Marian took Anna and Alex to the playset while Eric, Adam, and Makayla threw the Frisbee in the field. The Frisbee game had started out fun, just throwing it around, but then turned into a game of survival.

Adam threw with good accuracy and hit his target most of the time but he wasn't very fast. Eric threw strong and fast but didn't have very good aim. Makayla, however, threw with speed, strength, and always hit her target. The other two had quickly learned to run when she had the Frisbee. Ignoring the bruise Makayla accidentally gave Eric, the family had a great time. Makayla even managed to forget Ganabranth and his spies. She couldn't remember a time she had that much fun.

After the park, the small family stopped for lunch at a local fast-food place. They ordered some food and watched as Anna and Alex played in the indoor play area.

"I still can hardly believe you're here," Adam told Makayla, his hand laced in hers. The redhead laughed.

"I can tell. You won't stop looking at me." She teased, pushing his shoulder playfully.

"It doesn't help that you're so beautiful. You're like an eye magnet!" The complement casually slipped from Adam's lips. Makayla's cheeks went pink but she grinned.

"Well, you're no better. I've seen at least five girls eyeing you. Unlike me, I'd say _you_ enjoy the attention."

Adam winked as a response, drawing another laugh from his friend.

Marian and Eric sat together a few tables ways away and watched the two teens. A smile came to the couple's lips as Adam tried to put his arm around Makayla and she poked at him with one of his fries.

"Do you remember when we were that young?" Eric asked his wife.

"Do I ever," Marian replied with a sigh, a smiling as she thought of their youth.

"They're so happy together… I can hardly remember a time Adam smiled so much. I just… *sigh* I wish Makayla's life was easier." Eric's voice was sad.

"You found out her name?" Marian asked, looking at her husband from the corner of her eye.

"I did. It was wise of her to think of an alias. I wish with all my heart that she'll find a place to be safe."

"I agree; she deserves it. You think she's one of them?"

"Well, there wouldn't be very many other explanations." Eric shrugged as he watched as Makayla tried to push a fry into Adam's mouth.

Suddenly there was a huge explosion that seemed to shake the building. Makayla shot to her feet, paused for a short moment, then bolted out of the building. Adam ran after her, ignoring his mother's calls for him, but outside was a sight that made him think he was hallucinating.

Makayla was standing in front of a giant the size of the building, it's huge weapon raised to crush her.

* * *

When Makayla had heard the explosion she quickly ran outside.

Once she saw it, she recognized the giant. Not one of the "born to oppose a certain god" giants but a giant found in storybooks; over thirty feet tall, messy beard, green skin, and a giant club. The only problem? It recognized her. It came bounding towards her, the club raised high to smash her.

 _"Makayla!"_ Adam's voice shouted out.

Luckily, the giant was distracted by Adam and slowed just long enough for Makayla to dive to the side. The giant's weapon smashed where she had been seconds before, creating a crater in the asphalt. It moved a lot faster than Makayla had expected. She drew her sword as she got to her feet, not sure how'd fight something as big and fast as this.

Acting off instinct, Makayla rushed towards the giant. She dove between its legs and slashed her sword on the back of one of its ankles as she rolled to her feet. The giant howled in pain and grabbed at its ankle, dropping its weapon.

It didn't dissolve into dust as she had expected. Instead, Makayla was surprised to see dust spilling from its wound like how a human would bleed. She shook the thought from her head. The giant was angry now so she needed to focus.

It glared and raised its weapon again but Makayla summoned fire to her hand, blasting the giant before she thought of what she was doing. The giant stumbled but swept it's free hand towards her as he fell, knocking her off her feet and sending her smacking against the side of the building. Makayla's back hit the wall with a crack and she fell to the ground, eyesight blurred and ears ringing, her sword falling to the ground beside her. She faintly saw Adam still standing by the door while staring in shock. Then the giant stomped over to her and raised its weapon for a final stroke, a proud look on his face.

But before he could do anything there was an explosion a few feet from its head, causing it to stumble forward. As Makayla's eyesight cleared she saw two people standing behind the monster, a boy and girl both holding weapons. The boy charged forward, a short spear in each hand, and the girl knocked another arrow to her bow. In just seconds, the giant was nothing more than a pile of dust.

Makayla's head and eyes cleared enough for her to move but when she did she felt a stab of pain in her chest. She must have broken a rib when she smacked against the wall. At the same time, Adam shook himself from his shock and ran over to her. He knelt beside her and helped her sit up.

The boy saw her and walked over. His eyes scanned her for a moment before he too kneeled down beside her. He took a small bag from the backpack he was wearing and Makayla recognized it as Ambrosia. She figured him and the other girl were demigods as well.

"Can you have this?" He asked. Makayla nodded and he handed her a piece. She felt the pain in her chest begin to fade and she got to her feet. Once she stood she was hit with a head rush and leaned on Adam for support.

"You alright? Those giants are strong." The girl asked, walking over. She seemed about Makayla's age and Makayla heard a faint French accent in her voice. She had short spiky hair that was dyed neon green with one side of her head shaved. She wore very dark makeup that made her white eyes stand out. The girl wasn't looking directly at her; her eyes were fixed about a foot to Makayla's left.

The other boy looked nothing like her. He had dark skin and hair that was fire red and spiked up in the front with gel. He had several piercings on his lips and nose and was heavily muscled, about half a foot taller than Makayla which meant he was a full foot taller than the girl.

"I'm good," Makayla assured, leaning down to grab her sword, wincing as her head pounded. "What was that thing?"

"A giant." The girl answered.

"No duh, I guessed that. But what _type_ of giant? There are multiple." Makayla remembered.

"True." The boy agreed. "But unlike some other ones, this is just a regular giant. Not like the Hyperborean or Gigantes or Laistrygonian. Just a regular old giant."

"We've been tracking that thing for days." The girl added, still staring into nothing. "We almost lost it a few times but luckily it found its target."

"Target?" Adam still looked in shock but thankfully he was able to form words.

"Giants, unlike other things, are usually used as blackmail-hired assassins." The boy explained. "They're super possessive of their stuff so when you want someone gone you look for a giant, take something of theirs, threaten it with that, and voila! You got yourself the ultimate killing machine."

"Okay, I get that now. Who are you?" Makayla asked the two.

"Well for one, we're like you." The boy said. "But the two of us are actually from the California camp only we kinda quit the whole demigod gig and became giant hunters."

"In other words, we get paid to hunt them down and get rid of them." The girl concluded.

"Okay cool. How about names so I don't have to keep thinking of you as "The Girl" and "The Boy"?" Makayla rubbed her side, ribs healed.

"I'm Hunter. She's Sam." The boy introduced.

"I'm Makenna," Makayla said, using her usual Alias. "This is Adam."

"Cool names," Sam said, turning to face Makayla. Her unblinking white eyes were kind of unnerving.

"Don't bother with waving or smiling or anything," Hunter advised.

"Why not?" Adam wondered.

"Sam can't see a thing." The hunter said shortly.

"You're blind?" The mortal teen asked, waving a hand in front of Sam's eyes.

"Completely. But unless you want to lose your hand I suggest you remove it." Said girl's voice was hard. Adam quickly pulled his hand back and Hunter grinned.

"I can relate bud. She almost broke my hand when I first met her." He winked.

"I did break your hand," Sam muttered.

"We should get going and report what happened," Hunter suggested. Sam nodded. She turned her blank eyes back to Makayla.

"We can escort you back to CHB if you need?" She offered, not saying Camp Half-Blood's full name. Makayla quickly shook her head.

"No, no, no. That won't be necessary." She said quickly. The two gave her a weird look. Makayla then frowned. "Wait, how do you know about Camp?"

"Told you: we're demigods who got tired of doing demigod stuff. We ain't Greek like you though." Hunter said.

"Roman?" The two nodded. "Parents?"

"Mars," Hunter said. He pointed his thumb to the neon-haired girl. "Somnus."

"That's why no one is running out to see what happened," Sam explained.

"You put them to sleep?" Makayla asked, looking through the building's window to see that, yes, everyone was asleep.

"Just those within hearing and sight-range." Hunter shrugged. He then looked at his watch.

"We've got to get going. You sure you don't want a ride to Camp? I got my car out front." He said, gesturing to an expensive looking convertible parked in front of the building. Makayla again shook her head.

"No. It's too dangerous for me to be there." She said.

"Camp is a safe haven," Sam argued.

"Maybe for others but I bring danger to everyone around me. You saw the giant and you said yourself they are sent to kill a target. Besides, I left only four days ago. It's too soon for me to go back." The redhead paused for a second. "Do you guys know who sends the giants?"

"No. We never have a strong enough lead." Hunter added. "But goddamn, it'd be so helpful if we knew."

"Well, I know who sent that one," Makayla told him.

"Who and how?" Sam wondered skeptically.

"I can't say the name in public but they've been after me for years."

"If we find a secure place, will you tell us?"

"Maybe, but if you take me to your base or whatever the hell you call it then I'll tell your leader-boss-person and you can prevent them from sending more," Makayla told the two hunters.

"Makenna no." Adam interrupted, turning to face his friend. "No, you can't leave. Not again."

"We will go wait over there..." Sam said awkwardly, grabbing Hunter's hand and walking off, her w's sounding like v's. Hunter laughed and quickly pulled her to the side as she was inches from running into a wall.

"Adam, I know you don't want me to go but I've already been here too long. I told you what would happen when I stay in one place." She said, turning to face Adam.

"Are you talking about that super powerful, creepy, torturous gang leader guy who had kept you a prisoner for all those months?" He clarified. Makayla nodded. Adam sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. "I just found you after years and now you're leaving again."

"I'm sorry Adam. But who knows? Maybe, after all of this is over… maybe I'll find you again."

"I hope so. I'm gonna miss you, Makayla." Adam told his friend after a long moment. Makayla smiled. She stepped forward and kissed his cheek, hugging him tightly.

"Me too. Goodbye Adam. Tell your family I love them." With that, Makayla turned and walked over to where Hunter and Sam were.

"So heart-warming," Sam said, French voice sounding bored. Makayla guessed that she had heard her and Adam's goodbye. "Those goodbyes are always the-"

"Cheesiest?" Hunter guessed with a grin, leaning against the car while perfecting his fiery hair.

"I was going to say the most painful. You're right." The blind girl agreed.

After talking for a few minutes, the two giant hunters agreed to take Makayla to their leader so they all climbed into the convertible. Sam reached into a glove compartment and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Hunter offered Makayla a pair of as he slipped his own on, explaining that the sun was a lot brighter in a topless car. Makayla accepted the glasses and slipped them on. The flame-haired boy started the car and started forward.

Soon Makayla and the car were nothing but a blur speeding along the road, Adam and his family fading to nothing.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-third chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **So I'm still sick... Yeah, it sucks. But my best friend is coming over in a few to keep me company :) Okay to be honest, I think he's just coming over to play Magic: The Gathering with me :) Well technically I'm still learning so I'm playing with him. He introduced me to the game a few weeks ago and I'm totally hooked. Except I seriously think he's not telling me everything so I lose. Almost every card I get I have to show him so I know how it works and I'm always asking who I should attack and how I should play what.**

 **BUT! There was one game where I whooped his ass so hard! He played a card to take all my monsters but then I played one that got rid of every card above 1/1 so his entire field was wiped XD Hahaha, it was awesome! I played 1 card and killed his army, his defenses, and all his life points!**

 **But that's not why you're here though. SO TO THE STORY!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

"So you want to find our base?" Hunter asked Makayla, having to talk louder than normal to be heard over the wind

Makayla, Hunter, and Sam were zipping along the highway, a red blur in the bright sun. Never in her entire life had she ever planned or ever wanted to do what she was thinking but she decided to try. An old memory told her that she needed to.

"Yes. I have info your leader-person might want to know." She told them, not wanting to have to yell everything.

"Our base is one of the most well-hidden places. We can't really just bring anyone there." Sam frowned.

"Trust me. The information I have is almost crucial."

"It's called a _secret_ base for a reason."

"Okay first, you need to lighten up," Hunter told his friend. "Second, if it's important info then our boss should hear it. And third, just put her to sleep! She can't see where we're going if she's not conscious." He looked at Makayla through his rearview mirror. "You okay with that?"

Makayla hesitated. In any other circumstance, she would refuse being put to sleep but she understood why and she slowly nodded. Hunter grinned and if she could see his eyes then Makasheyla guessed he would have winked.

"Great! We still have plenty of hours to go before we get close." He told her, looking behind him for a second before changing lanes. "But first, two things. Sammy Dearest?"

"Call me that again and I will break your leg." Sam threatened. Hunter laughed.

"No, you won't. You looove meee!" He teased. Makayla saw a faint blush on Sam's cheeks as she hit him with a well-aimed punch, earning another laugh. "Plus I'm the one between us who can actually drive."

"What's the second?" She asked, ignoring the last statement.

"Can you turn on the radio? You know I hate driving without music." He said. Makayla brushed some hair from her face and saw a sly grin slide across Hunter's lips and she realized that he wasn't trying to hide it because Sam couldn't see him. Said girl seemed to glare at him through her sunglasses.

"Wipe that grin off your face and maybe I will." She muttered, but Hunter kept the smile, his spiked red hair blowing crazy from the wind.

Sam reached her hand out for the console. Her fingers brushed over the buttons. She frowned when she touched a small knob, twisting it back and forth but it did nothing so she moved her hand over again until she found the ON button. As soon as she pushed it the music blared loud enough that it could probably be heard in China, causing them to swerve and nearly crash. Makayla's hands went to her ears as Hunter fumbled to press the OFF button. He found it and shut the radio off. The three sat in tense silence for a minute after.

"I wondered what that did," Sam said in a small voice.

Hunter gave a small chuckle and it grew until he was laughing. Sam's blush grew but a small smile appeared. Hunter reached over and turned the volume down considerably then pushed the ON button again. The sound was barely audible but he turned up the volume until it wasn't as loud but could still be heard over the wind. The two must have liked the bass strong because when the song played, it was thumping so loud it felt like it was shaking the car. Makayla was okay with that. She liked it, even.

It took many stops and quite a bit of "friendly arguments" during their fifteen-hour trip before Hunter announced they had arrived in Florida and that they were getting close.

"I would suggest you would lay down before Sam puts you to sleep. She has a habit of zonking 'em out real fast." He told Makayla through the mirror, one muscled arm resting lazily on the top of the steering wheel.

As suggested, Makayla laid across the back seats as Sam reached into a small backpack at her feet and pulled out a smaller drawstring bag. Reaching into it she grabbed a small pinch of sparkly dust.

"Close your eyes." Sam directed. The redhead did as told and Sam threw the dust over her. It settled and her vision immediately went dark.

Makayla didn't dream or even have thoughts after her vision faded. It seemed like seconds later that voices began to shake her unconsciousness. It was annoying at first because the sounds were just a faint blur but it slowly grew louder and the words began to unblur. She couldn't hear the exact words and it bugged her. She was still too asleep to open her eyes but she could make out the words clearer, though some were mixed together and weren't understandable.

"... told… we can't… you… rules." A male voice said. Makayla didn't recognize the voice and she guessed it was a guard or security person. There was no feeling of wind so she figured they were stopped.

"No... but she…. information that… hear ... in!" Makayla recognized Hunter's voice.

"… for gods'... Dickerson! ...don't let… I will make… position… year!" Sam's French-accented voice sounded annoyed, the voices beginning to clear. Makayla guessed that she, Hunter, and this Dickerson person had that conversation a lot. Makayla felt her eyes start to twitch as she started to wake up even more.

"… waking up... unless …knowing where the …suggest you …now!" Hunter demanded, seeing Makayla starting to wake. There was a long groan from one of them then the sound of a buzzer and the car started moving again.

A few minutes later the car stopped and the engine was shut off. There was the sound of car doors opening then slamming shut. Makayla felt someone shake her shoulder and she was pulled from the rest of her sleep. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, rolling her shoulders to rid the aching cramp she felt. She shook her head to get rid of the rest of the drowsiness and looked around.

She noticed that the hood of Hunter's convertible was up and saw it was him shaking her awake. Careful not to bump her head, Makayla crawled out of the car. Looking around she recognized the cement walls and floors as a parking garage but it was way bigger than any other she had seen before, with what looked like a hundred cars on just that one floor.

"Is this your secret entrance or something? Seems big enough for it." Makayla remarked sarcastically, feeling more awake than she expected, fixing her sword around her waist.

"Ha! Not even close. This is just parking." Hunter told her, tossing Makayla her backpack and heading to the elevator and stepping in. "But you think this is big? Just you wait."

After what seemed like forever the elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Sam jumped at the sound, pulling from Hunter's embrace. Instead of holding his hand, she slipped her arm through his as he led the two girls out. As soon as Makayla stepped out of the elevator, her breath was taken from her lungs.

The three of them walked through a short hall, about ten feet by five feet, and entered the biggest room Makayla had ever seen. There was no center in the middle of that floor, forming an open rectangular space that looked down a dozen floors below. There was a railing around the outside of the rectangle to prevent people from falling but the walkway outlining the gap was wide enough for at least three cars to drive side by side.

For a long moment, Makayla couldn't say anything. She just stared at the amazing sight. She had heard of the Amazon's station before but the Giant Hunters' base put them to a sad shame. Hunter laughed at her expression.

"I know right? Told you so. Biggest operation in the states! Sixty plus floors. Over ten thousand people." He bragged, leaning against the railing. Sam swatted Hunter's arm as Makayla nodded slowly.

"Don't overwhelm her! Besides, we brought her here to talk to the Boss not give her a tour." She scolded. Hunter gave a dramatic groan, catching the attention of a few nearby people. They saw who it was and continued what they were doing.

"Fiiine! Such a spoilsport, you know? For that, I'm not looping your arm." He decided. He started off and Makayla gave Sam a weird look. The blind teen just sighed. Once they caught up to the fire-haired boy, Makayla grinned when Sam kicked his leg.

"Don't ditch me like that again! You _know_ I can't see where I'm going!" She exclaimed. Hunter laughed but a bruise was visibly forming already.

"Girl you're gonna have tuh stop bein' so violent." One of the people said with a heavy gangster-like accent. "No wonduh yuh got no friends besides dat crazy dawhk."

"Go away and leave her alone. You don't know anything about her." Hunter told the guy, muscled arms flexing as he tightened his hands to fists. The gangster guy laughed.

"Aw you protectin' ya little French girlfrien or wha? How sweet. Yuh got me so fahr? And wha are yuh gonna do if I doan stop? Swig blindly at me or wha? Pun intended." He waved his hand in front of Sam's face, the sunglasses still covering her eyes. Sam swatted his hand away.

"F*ck off! Nobody wants you here." She said, voice dangerously hard. He laughed then seemed to notice Makayla. He looked at her the way a starving dog would look at a person's food. He slid next to her, getting way too close. Makayla frowned and tried to push him away but the guy wouldn't move.

"Well hello dere. Right? Howahrya doin' Beautiful?" He asked. Makayla frowned. Then her purple eyes widened.

 _"Good morning Beautiful! Ready to have some fun today?"_

 _"Feisty today, aren't you Beautiful?."_

 _"You know Beautiful, you are the most stubborn person I have ever met."_

 _"Sorry, Beautiful, but I can't let you go just yet."_

 _"Now will you tell me what I want, Beautiful? Or will I have to do a bit more to get my answer?"_

 _"Don't you look good today? I guess that's why I call you Beautiful."_

 _"Good to see you again Beautiful. I've missed you."_

His voice echoed in Makayla's mind, playing over and over and getting louder and louder until her head felt like it was going to burst. It wouldn't stop. His voice still annoyingly cheerful, filled with hidden venom. It sounded so close, so real as if he were right there beside her.

"Stop. Stop, go away. Leave me alone. Stop! Please, make him stop! He's loud. He's so loud! Make him stop!" Makayla cried.

She fell to her knees, her hands going to her ears. His voice continued to taunt her, echoing in her ears. The feeling of cold metal traced across her skin as she continued to plead for silence.

"Stop! Be quiet! Just go away! _LEAVE ME ALONE!"_ Makayla yelled, her voice filled with rage.

A wave of energy exploded from Makayla. Everything was thrown back, people and machines smashing against the walls, machines and vehicles breaking. Glass shattered and people screamed as they were blown away from the redhead by a force they couldn't see. Her sight darkened and she collapsed against the floor.

 _'I told you I was never far away.'_

His words were the last Makayla heard before falling into nothing. This time she accepted it and welcomed the dark.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-fourth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Sorry I've been so long. I've been busy with medical tests and stuff. It's all good though they're helping and then I'll be all better! So hurray for that! I just got a whole bunch of tests and one is out of state. I'm actually kinda hoping that one goes bad cuz then I get to go... Out of country! I'll go somewhere _really_ far away to do a test. Thank goodness for insurance, right?**

 **Anyway!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Extra points and a special surprise to anyone who gets the reference_

* * *

Makayla opened her eyes.

She blinked a few times to adjust to the lighting. She groaned as her hand went to her head; her head was throbbing like crazy. Her eyes now adjusted, she looked around to see she was on a couch in a candle-lit room. The room was practically empty besides two L-shaped couches arranged into a square-like shape and shelves along the walls, each holding about a dozen candles, all similar. All the furniture was black and the walls were a dark grey, a section of the room to the right curtained off. The color and curtain gave the room a dark and mysterious look that reminded her of a vampire's lair.

Makayla sat up on the couch when the curtain was pulled back. A man walked in, dressed in a black cloak with a hood that hid his face in shadow. The open front of the cloak showed that the man wore a very nice looking tuxedo. Makayla couldn't help but feel nervous as he stopped in front of her. He faced her for a long moment, face hidden in shadow, before moving to sit on the couch across from her.

"Why have you come?"

The man's voice was a low rumble, very attractive but deep. Makayla cleared her throat but her eyes narrowed slightly, determined not to show her discomfort.

"Are you the leader of the giant hunters' group?" She asked in response.

"I have gone by that title." The man agreed.

"What's your name?" Makayla questioned. The man shook his hooded head slightly.

"A man has no name. A man is no one." He told her.

"Alright then, no one. Do you know who sends the giants?"

"Had that information be known, we would hunt none but that one." The man pointed out. It unnerved Makayla how he could speak without moving any part of himself beside his mouth. She could barely see him breathing.

"I guess that's true." She admitted, shifting her position on the couch so her sword hilt would stop jabbing into her side. "I might know who's sending the giants. Well, at least the last one."

"Human knowledge is dark and uncertain. Much like you." The man said, his voice deep yet quiet.

"What do you mean?" Makayla was confused by this man's weird talking.

"Human behavior flows from three main sources: knowledge, emotion, and desire. You act and speak from emotion more often than desire or knowledge." The man seemed to like talking in riddles and it annoyed Makayla.

"What does that have to do with anything?" She wondered.

"You say you may know who sent the giant, yet you do not know your mind." The man said, moving his hands to his lap. "Your mind is clouded by thoughts of past mistakes and future problems. You do not have the focus to concentrate on the moment at hand."

"What...?"

"You must release the guilt of the pains from your past to find peace of the present moment and understand yourself and your thoughts."

Makayla thought for a moment. She honestly had no clue why this guy was saying these weird things but… at the same time... it made sense. She was all over the place and she did carry the guilt of her past. She admitted to herself that she needed to let that pain go.

"I don't know why you're saying all this," She told the stranger. "But I will admit that you're right."

"Admittance is the first step. Once the first is done, the next is ready."

"Okay… I think I understand." Makayla agreed, nodding slowly

"That is good." The man in black said as he stood from his seat on the couch.

He walked to a table Makayla had previously not noticed, grabbing a match and lighting a flame. Walking back over towards his previous place, he relit several of the candles on a wall that had gone out. He then shook the match out and set it on the table before moving back to his spot on the couch.

"Returning to the topic in which you first began, who do you believe it is that sends these giants?" He asked.

"First, where are most the giant attacks centered?"

"These hunters travel all throughout the country. However, most of my field agents return from the place being Athens, Georgia"

Makayla closed her eyes and pressed her lips together at his answer. She had hoped beyond hope he wouldn't say that place. She sighed heavily.

"I hoped so bad that you wouldn't say that because now I know for certain who it is that sent the last one. Probably a couple of others too." She grimaced.

"And who might that be?" He asked

"Do you know about an organization known as The Serpents?"

"That name has not reached the ears of a man in many lifetimes." No one said after a moment of silence.

"Do you know who their leader is?"

"I do. He is a man of much evil."

"Do you know where their base is?" Makayla's questions tumbled one after another past her lips.

"You seem to have a great deal of questions, young Makayla." The man tilted his head slightly. Makayla started slightly.

"How do you know my name?" She demanded. The faintest of smiles appeared on the cloaked man's mouth.

"A man knows many things. The name of a girl with two fathers of Olympian blood is old knowledge."

Makayla was on her feet. She didn't know who this person was or how he knew about her most hidden secret, but anyone who did was a danger to her.

"Who are you?" She demanded, hand on the hilt of her sword.

"A man is of no threat to a girl." The cloaked man said, holding up one hand.

"How can I be sure of that?"

The man's lips rose to a small smile. He stood as well and untied his cloak, setting it on the couch beside him, revealing himself. Makayla was surprised to see that he didn't look that old, around twenty to twenty-five if she had to guess.

He was about two feet taller than her. His hair was brown with natural golden highlights, around a slightly shaggy length. His eyes were beautiful but a color that Makayla had never seen before, almost like every color of blue and every color of brown were mixed together, a distinct green flower around his iris. He had a perfectly tanned complexion, a firm square jaw, and full lips that gave him a very handsome look. He wore a tieless tuxedo with a golden Greek Omega on a chain around his neck. Makayla couldn't help but gape for a moment, his masculine beauty taking her breath momentarily.

"My name is Kratos, though I prefer to be nameless to those who come to know me." The man said, his deep attractive voice breaking Makayla's daze. She had to take a small moment to think of a response to prevent fawning over his looks.

"No offense but that name seems kinda... godly." She noted, sitting back down on the couch. Her hand remained around her sword hilt, purple eyes still locked on him. She prayed she didn't look creepy.

"Indeed. I am but a minor god."

"What are you the god of?"

"Strength, might, and power."

"Greek or Roman?" Kratos rose a perfect eyebrow and gestured to the Greek Omega around his neck. Makayla blushed. "Right..."

"Indeed." Kratos agreed. He reached down and grabbed his cloak, replacing it around his shoulders but keeping the hood back. He paused for a moment. "A girl has something she would like to ask."

"Two things actually. First: if you had the chance to find The Serpents, could you end them?" The demigod asked. Kratos seemed to think for a moment.

"I do not deny that putting an end to their leader would save many lives and prevent future wars. A girl asks if a man could end the organization? Despite being a god myself, their leader is very powerful and so would be a difficult opponent. There are many doubts about that man." The god admitted, his deep voice feeling to Makayla as if it were vibrating her bones. Said girl nodded.

"Would you try though?" She repeated.

"A man has no reason not to." He shrugged, going back to being nameless.

"Okay. Second question: if I show you to where The Serpents base is, will you help me with something I need to do?" Makayla crossed her fingers for luck.

"A man's answer would depend on what it is a girl has the intention of doing." A strand of Kratos' hair slipped in front of his eyes and Makayla had the urge to brush it away.

"I need help getting something that I should have taken with me when I first escaped." She explained. He raised an eyebrow once more.

"Something or someone?" He clarified. Makayla had a feeling he already knew the answer.

"Someone." She admitted. The god inclined his head, brushing away the strand of hair.

"Tell me, Daughter of Two, why risk the dangers of being caught once more by the man who marked you? The one you ran from not five days ago?" He questioned. Makayla stopped for a long moment, trying to figure out the answer herself.

"To be honest? I'm not positive. I would do anything in the world to never see or even hear about that man again but… he has someone captive and I swore I would get them out of there. I've waited long enough to fulfill that promise."

Kratos nodded, obviously liking that answer. He paused though, his eyes looking deep into Makayla's.

"A man hopes that by now that a girl knows of what she must do in the time that has yet to come?" He asked the redhead. Makayla swallowed but nodded.

"Yeah, I do." She replied, her throat suddenly very dry.

"A girl must control her own destiny or another will. If you know your enemy and know yourself then you need not to fear the result of a hundred battles." The dark-haired man told her. Makayla nodded, understanding what he was implying. "Remember: a power unlike any other resides asleep deep inside you. You must awaken it."

"But I don't know how to do that." Makayla shook her head, fiddling with the hilt of her sword. Kratos gave a small smile.

"I believe that a girl does." He disagreed. Makayla sighed and didn't reply.

Kratos stood and offered her his hands and, after a small moment, she accepted it and he helped her to her feet. Without hesitation, Kratos turned and pulled his hood back up to hide his face. He gestured for Makayla to follow and led her out a door that had been behind the curtain. The god of strength led Makayla down the hall to a door on the right side of the hall, opening it for her then following after. The door led to the bottom floor of the room she had seen when she first arrived.

The god walked to the opposite side of the giant room, gesturing for Makayla to follow. The two walked down several halls, past a few open rooms, and down a couple of flights of stairs. Just as Makayla was beginning to wonder when they would arrive at their destination, Kratos stopped in front of a pair of large and well-decorated doors.

"Here a girl is asked to remain until summoned." He told Makayla. Before she could respond, he had already gone through and closed the doors.

Makayla frowned, not liking being ignored. She sighed and figured there wasn't anything else to do. Leaning against the wall, she crossed her scarred arms and let her mind wander.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-sixth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Sorry I've been so long. I had a bunch of stuff going on in life so finding time to get this going was like trying to solve world hunger overnight. But I'm back now to update so that's what matters!**

 **Also, this one is another long chapter, just for you guys.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

It seemed like forever for Makayla until the doors opened.

"Come in." Kratos invited, holding the door open for her.

Frowning as she wasn't sure what to expect, Makayla entered the room. What she didn't expect was a room that reminded her of the room she was in when she first spoke to Kratos. Dark walls formed an octagon-shaped room and were lit by shelves of candles. In the middle of the room proudly sat a large octagonal table, the center and one side removed so one could move to stand in the middle. Seven chairs sat around the table, one empty and the other six occupied by unfamiliar faces. The room was otherwise empty.

"A man will now ask a girl to refer to him by the title of no one as his true name is known by few," Kratos whispered to her, his face still covered in the shadow of his cloak.

Makayla nodded in agreement and the god gestured for her to move to the center. She walked forward, very aware and very cautious of the six strangers watching her every move. Kratos moved to sit in the empty chair at what seemed the head of the table as Makayla stood, not sure what to do.

"Sir, do you mean to tell me that this girl knows the whereabouts to our great enemy?" One of the people asked the god, a boy looking around Makayla's age.

Kratos nodded without a response.

"The Serpents are an elite and secretive group. How would this… this teenager know where they are unless she was a member?" Another person said, a woman around thirty. She seemed to spit out the word teenager.

Kratos gestured to Makayla to explain. She cleared her throat before talking.

"Um… several months ago, I was held a prisoner by The Serpents." She told them. "I was their captive for a little bit less than a year before I managed to escape. When I-"

"That's impossible. No one escapes or leaves that place." The first boy interrupted. Makayla frowned at the interruption.

"Well, it's not impossible because I did." She said, crossing her arms.

"How though? No one ever has before." A new man asked. He sat to Kratos's left. The redhead shrugged.

"I'm gonna be totally honest, I don't remember a lot about it." She admitted. "I just remember knocking out a guard who came into my cell and stealing the keys. There are bits and pieces I remember too, like hiding behind a wall and pressure-pointing someone and sneaking past a guard in a room full of machine parts, but not a lot else about that place."

"Exactly! We have no proof whether this girl is lying or not." The woman exclaimed, gesturing to Makayla as if proving her point. "For all we know, she could be a field spy that was sent to sabotage us."

"Excuse me?!" Makayla exclaimed, turning to her, offended by the accusation.

"You definitely look the part." Someone mumbled though Makayla couldn't pinpoint who.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?!" The redhead demanded. The person two seats to Kratos's right waved his hand.

"Just look at you. They're leader brands almost every prisoner he has but you have nothing that proves you were a captive." He told her.

Makayla ground her teeth. Nothing to show?!

Not bothering with a response, she released her spell that concealed her and a second later, her true skin was revealed. Gasps were heard from almost all six people (Kratos remained poker-faced) as Makayla's scarred body became visible. The hundreds of scars on her skin were clearly visible despite the dim lighting. Not totally sure what she was doing, Makayla focused on that power she had felt days ago and felt her body begin to tingle. Looking down, she saw her Snake Scar glowing faintly with a silver light. Her purple eyes rose to glare at the man.

"How's this for "nothing to prove"?" She demanded. The man, wisely, said nothing.

"What happened to you?" Someone behind Makayla asked. She didn't bother to turn as she responded.

"As I said: I was held captive by Ganabranth for almost a year. That _demon_ of a man tortured me physically, mentally and emotionally day after day endlessly."

There were quiet mumblings, the strangers obviously surprised that she knew Ganabranth's name.

"How did you manage to survive if what you're saying is true?" The first man asked.

Makayla narrowed her eyes. She turned to Kratos, her eyes asking a question. Not having moved or said a word since sitting, the god nodded once, assuring her it was safe to tell her secret.

"It's a secret of mine that I don't give lightly. In fact, only five or six people in the world know about it but… I am a demigod with the blood of two Olympians inside of me. I was born of one mortal mother and two godly fathers." Makayla told her secret; the secret she had cheated, lied, stole, killed, and tricked to keep unknown.

In response to her confession, she received six disbelieving and shocked looks. Makayla couldn't blame them either.

"How is that possible?" Someone to Makayla right asked. The redhead shrugged.

"I mean I can tell you if you want but it's weird and hard to explain. Plus my birth wasn't exactly the topic we started with." She pointed out.

"Never before has this even been thought of, let alone happen. This knowledge could change so much!" A woman exclaimed.

"And what exactly would we do with that knowledge?" The man to Kratos' left asked the woman.

"Knowing how someone is born isn't that big a deal." A new voice said. Makayla was beginning to lose track of what voice went with who.

"It is when that someone has two godly fathers. For all we know, two godly parents could give her unfathomable power. If so then we could use that power against our enemy."

 _"What?!"_ Makayla demanded in response to the last comment. There was _no_ way she was going to let anyone use her as a weapon. Her exclamation was ignored, however.

"If that power even does exist then there is no way anyone but this girl could control it."

"Then she could use it herself."

"And what if she doesn't want to? Then what?"

"I'm not going to be your weapon!" Makayla's words fell on deaf ears and she grumbled, crossing her scarred arms.

"Then we find a way. That power could control future wars!"

"But unless you forgot that power is currently inside of a person's body."

"How do we know that power even exists? For all we know you all could be arguing about something that's not even there!"

"That's enough." Kratos finally said, his deep was voice calm and quiet but it caught the attention of everyone in the room. No one spoke a word, all attention on the god. He continued, "The power this young woman may or may not have would be hers and hers alone. But the topic has veered from its course. The whereabouts of our great enemy have finally been discovered and action must be taken immediately. For that -"

"- you need me to go back to the place where I was held captive and tortured for months by the man that causes me to wake up screaming every night." Makayla finished sourly. Kratos nodded once.

"Honest apologies but that is the price. The Hunters cannot do so without you." He told her. "But remember that you are of your own free will. The decision concerning your actions is yours alone."

Makayla paused. Kratos was right that it was her choice. But she didn't even know what she wanted to choose! She knew for positive that she could happily live her entire life without ever dealing with Ganabranth or his organization ever again. But… at the same time… she had a promise she knew she needed to keep. If that meant returning to the place she was tortured and scarred for life… was her promise really that important? Makayla shook her head, sighing as she made her decision.

She rose her purple and silver swirling eyes to the god sitting in front of her.

"I could live my life happily if I never hear of that man again. The very thought of him makes me want to curl into a ball and cry. Because of my scar, he can control my body and mind whenever he wants and I can't prevent it. Running away is pointless because he knows where I am and I can't do anything. He speaks to me in my mind and I have no way to stop him. He single-handedly destroyed me, breaking me into a million pieces, so I will never _ever_ have a normal life. I can't make friends because I question every person I see. I can't have a relationship because feel like I can't trust anyone anymore. I can't settle down and start a life because people near me get hurt as a warning. I couldn't even stay with my own _brother_ at a demigod safe haven for more than a few weeks! That man has ruined my life and now I'm being asked to go _back_ to where it all began? To where he sits practically waiting for me? I'm not sorry to say that there is no way in life or death that I will ever go back to or even get near that place again. I'll tell you where he is and how to get in but besides that… you're on your own." _  
_

Makayla's voice was filled with finality. She had made her choice and no one would change her mind. Kratos nodded once.

"You all are dismissed. Thank you." He told the six other people in the room. Without a word they left, leaving Makayla and the god alone. Kratos pulled a chair beside his own and gestured for Makayla to join him. "Come, sit."

Hesitating a moment, Makayla left the open middle of the table and moved beside the brunet. He turned his chair to face her and pulled back the hood of his cloak, once again gracing Makayla with his masculine beauty.

"Why do you hear the hood? And not give out your name?" Makayla asked from impulsive. The god gave a small smirk.

"Because I think I look all dark and mysterious and it makes me feel super cool. Plus I heard girls have a thing for guys wrapped in mystery." He admitted with a wink, causing Makayla to chuckle. Kratos's voice retained its deep tone but it seemed more… modern, in a sense. His ancient philosopher way of speaking was replaced by one of a young adult.

"Well, I won't say you're wrong." She admitted. Then her smile faded. "I'm sorry I can't help you but I really don't want to go back there. I can't." Kratos paused for a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I don't blame you for your choice. I would make the same if I were you. I admit that I'm a bit disappointed but I'm not upset because it was up to you." He paused. "I have to ask, is that your absolute and final decision?"

Makayla nodded slowly before pausing; she knew she didn't want to go back, she had no doubts there. But what about her promise? She promised she'd go back but how could? To that hellhole. At the same time… how could she break that promise?

"You're unsure of your answer." It wasn't a question and Makayla agreed he was right. "It's like I said before: before you can calm the storm of the world, you must first calm the storm of your mind."

"It's weird how you do that."

"Do what?"

"One sec you're a mysterious wise-guy then the next you're a regular guy then you're back to mysterious." Makayla pointed out. Kratos blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Really? I- uh- never noticed. Now that you point it out… Um, anyway. Is there a way I could ask what your plans are now?" He wondered, his blush dying down.

"I don't… actually… know…" Now it was Makayla's turn to blush. "I'm not really much of a planner. I usually just have one main goal then improvise my way to get there."

"Not exactly the best strategy," Kratos advised. She chuckled.

"You're telling me. I mean I got this far so it's not a terrible way to do things. I just… when I try to plan things out I end up planning every single small detail and get annoyed when things play out any different. So I stick with improvising."

"Understandable. Taking into account what you said, do you have a general idea of what you're going to do next?"

"Being one hundred percent honest with both you and me? I have an idea of what I _want_ to do but at the same time… I'm pretty sure I know what I'm gonna end up doing, despite what I want." Makayla shook her head, already hating herself.

"And what would that be?" The god wondered.

"I think you already know that answer."

"I do. I want to hear it from you, though." He agreed. Makayla sighed. This god was annoying. Sometimes she liked him, other times she didn't.

"What I _want_ to do is run and run and keep on running until all this is too behind me to even remember. To forget everything about this life and start another somewhere else. To forget that promise I made. But… knowing me… _*sigh*_ I'm gonna end up keeping that promise."

"And to do that… you know what you'll have to do right?" Kratos made sure. Makayla nodded sullenly.

"Yeah. But she was in that hellhole before I was and she was there when I left and I'd be willing to bet she's still there."

"And to clarify, you're going to go back to the place you were held captive and tortured for a year just because of her?"

Makayla frowned.

"She's worth it. She's the reason I'm still alive. She kept me strong and was the reason I stayed when I wanted to give up. I can't leave her alone in that place any longer. She helped me get better and stay sane and did so much for me that the least I can do is get her out of there." She argued.

"I believe you just finalized your decision," Kratos told her with a small smile, leaning back. Makayla paused, surprised. Without her realizing it, Kratos just helped her make her mind.

"I guess I did." She admitted. She sat back in her chair. "I'll tell you guys how to get there and how to get in without being seen. I'll go too but I'm going on my own, not with a giant crowd of hunters."

"I can work with that." Kratos agreed.

So for the next two hours, Makayla and Kratos sat and planned their entry into The Serpent's base.

She told him where in Athens, Georgia the entrance was and explained how and where she found the exit/entrance. She searched through all of her memories to try to remember the position and number of guards, the security, and rooms. Her memories, sadly, didn't offer much information as at the time of her escape she was focused more on surviving than making notes but the two managed to form and work out the details of a plan.

Much to her embarrassment, Makayla broke down several times during the exchange of information and planning. The thought alone of going back to where Ganabranth was terrified her.

"The street… I know the streets were Baxter street and Alphs road. It looped behind some buildings and connected the two." Makayla remembered. Kratos nodded and wrote the information down on the paper he was keeping notes on. "On the back of one of the buildings… there's a bunch of graffiti. I don't remember what all of it is…" Makayla squeezed her eyes closed, pressing her hands to her head as she tried to remember.. "There- There are numbers… I remember that I hid until someone used the entrance so I would know how but my head just doesn't want to remember… _goddamnit!"_

Makayla groaned and dropped her head to the table as the memory slipped away. She clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut as she tried to force herself to remember. She sat for a long minute with her head down until she felt a hand on her back. She sighed and sat back up, giving up the effort.

"Don't try so hard," Kratos told her gently. "You're putting too much of a strain on your mind. Let your thoughts and memories flow smoothly."

Makayla nodded and took a deep breath, trying to relax her mind. She felt a hand atop her own and felt a strange feeling flow through her body. She turned to the god, who retained a casual look of slight curiosity on his face as he watched her expression.

"What are you doing?" She asked, looking down at where their hands lay connected.

"As a god of strength and power, I can share my power with others, giving them strength of their own," Kratos explained, expression unchanging. "Close your eyes and focus, gently this time."

Makayla nodded slowly and closed her purple eyes. She took another deep breath and focused. In her mind, she formed a hazy image of a wall covered in colors. She began to focus harder, trying to clear the image, but then remembered what Kratos said and relaxed. She felt a small rush of strength flow through her and the image began clearing.

"What do you see?" Kratos asked, deep voice gentle.

"I see… a wall." Makayla reported, eyes remaining closed. "There are pictures on it, graffiti." The memory seemed to zoom onto one picture on the wall. "There's an image of a mirror; it's broken and cracked. There are numbers on the frame, three nines on the top." The memory suddenly moved. Makayla saw the third nine turning until it was a six. The first nine did the same, then the middle on. She told the god the movement. "It's three sixes now, not nines."

"Seems fitting," Kratos muttered, mostly to himself. Makayla couldn't help but smile.

"I'm moving now." She reported. She saw herself moving forward, stepping _into_ the image of the mirror, the image now a doorway. "It changed. The picture- it's not a picture anymore, I can walk through it."

"Through the image?" The god repeated.

"Yeah. The image it- it's like a hidden doorway. I guess turning the nines on the picture opened it." The memory faded away and Makayla opened her eyes. The god in front of her was frowning slightly and she gave him a curious glance.

"If a graffitied image really is the doorway to The Serpents' base, then bringing an entire team to that one place would not be smart. A large group would draw attention." He mused.

"What about just two or three?" Makayla suggested. "If it's just a small group of… let's say you, me, and someone, else then it wouldn't draw a lot of attention."

Kratos thought for a few seconds before nodding.

"That could work." He agreed slowly. "Despite your telling me, your actions of opening the entrance would have a better chance of success. Once we manage to enter, however, what will you be doing?"

"Well, first I'm going to find her. After I get her to safety and out of there, I'll come back to help you fight against… him." Makayla admitted. She hated that she was still unable to say Ganabranth's name. She took a breath in. "I'm gonna admit that I am absolutely terrified right now and I have no clue if I'll freeze up or not. I mean I'll try but whether I fail or not… I dunno, it just…"

Makayla was unable to finish. She felt so scared, so nervous, but also so determined. That evil man had to be dealt with. He had plagued the world for way too long. He had to be beaten.

"I understand." The god replied with a nod, a small smile tugging at the corners of his beautiful lips. He rolled his shoulders and, as if from habit, tossed his head to flip his hair back. No longer hidden by his hair, his beautifully strange eyes shone in the dim light. Makayla felt her heart thump at the action, cursing quietly as she felt her cheeks warm. The god noticed and gave a small smirk. "You're blushing. Is there a reason why?"

Makayla glared at the tease but looked away, feeling embarrassed as she felt her blush darkening.

"You should get some sleep," Kratos suggested, standing from his chair and helping her up as well. "Come, Daughter of Two. I'll have someone escort you to a room so you can rest."

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-seventh chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Daddy-bonding-time! I love the relationship between gods and the lack of relationship between others. Like Apollo and Hermes? XD They're total goals! Buuut I couldn't think of a lot for this one so this is _suuuper_ hella short. Like usually my chapters are 2,000-3,000 words but this one is like... 950 words.**

 **I'm gonna be completely honest... I have _major_ writer's block for what happens now with Makayla so I'm switching the camera for a second. Just a second. After I figure out my next scene I'll be right back with some more Makayla-bada*s skills!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Hermes sighed as he paced.

He was trying to think but his mind was running as fast as he could. He kept trying to focus on his work but the god just couldn't control his thoughts. He grumbled. He was all over the place! He shook his head. This thinking was going to drive him crazy; he needed to figure himself out. Taking a deep breath a flashed away to the one place he knew might be able to help.

Immediately he was hit with a blast of heat, smoky air filling his lungs. He coughed and waved his hand through the air. There was loud banging followed by an angry shout coming to his right so he followed the sound. Weaving his way through machines and robot parts, he frowned when he noticed that the majority of the creations seemed broken, non-working, or not complete as though they had been given up on half-way through their making.

Another loud bang took his attention. A second later he yelped as he ducked to avoid a large machine piece flying through the air. It went crashing into the far side of the forge.

"Geez, are you trying to decapitate me?!" He exclaimed. He received no answer from the large figure in front of him. "Why the sour mood?"

"Nothing's working." He grumbled. "The metal gets warped, bots all malfunction, machines fall apart, everything's going haywire!"

"Maybe your mind's not focused?" Hermes suggested, hopping onto the work table.

"And what else would my mind be thinking of?" Hephaestus argued. Hermes sighed as he leaned against the wall.

"Makayla?" Like a pulled plug, the forge went almost silent, the only sound coming from the fires in the furnaces. The two gods felt their faces drop. Hermes continued."I can't focus either. I'm so worried about her, she's the only thing on my mind right now. I just feel like something really bad is happening to her and I can't do anything about it."

"She's a strong girl," Hephaestus argued, eyes locked on the warped metal on his anvil. His voice betrayed him, sounding uncertain.

"She may be strong but she's still had sh*t happen."

There was a long moment of silence.

"You notice how grown up she was?" Hephaestus finally asked. Hermes chuckled a bit wistfully.

"Yeah, I did. She definitely isn't a little kid anymore." He agreed.

"Leo's nineteen so she's, what, seventeen now?"

"In a few days, I think." Hermes thought for a moment and nodded when he realized that their daughter's birthday was in a couple of days. The two once again elapsed into silence.

"I hate that I can't see her. I understand why but that doesn't mean I like it." The forge god finally said. Hermes nodded in agreement.

"Same. But I'd rather her remain safe and unknown by Zeus. He wouldn't let her pass lightly, she's too strong."

"I hope she'll understand that someday; we're not ignoring her on purpose."

"Yeah..." Hermes didn't seem sure what to say. "You think she's alright? I'm still worried about it."

"You mean that poison?" Hephaestus clarified. He received a nod. "I don't know. I hope so but it's not like we can pop in and ask."

"Yeah. Did you- did you ever, you kno… have any regrets?" Hermes seemed to force the question. Hephaestus frowned.

"About Makayla?" He asked. The messenger god nodded. The god of fire's eyes darkened. "No. Not once did I regret having her as my daughter. I regret her being as strong as she is and I regret not being able to ever see her but I don't regret her being born."

"Good." Hermes nodded. "I don't either but I just wanted to make sure."

The two lapsed into silence for another minute before Hephaestus grumbled something and turned to resume pounding his large hammer against the sheet of metal. Hermes watched for a minute, fascinated with the way the glowing metal was pounded to shape.

The two gods made idle conversation for half an hour or so, Hermes doing the majority of talking as the god of fire seemed unsure what to say.

Hermes felt a vibration in his pocket and pulled out his phone. He saw the screen and his face dropped.

"Now what?" Hephaestus asked, seeing his expression.

"Work's backed up and unmoving right now," Hermes reported. "Everything's all over the place. I gotta get back to work."

The two said a simple goodbye and the messenger god flashed away.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-eighth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Feel free to leave a review as criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said and heard.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **GUESS WHO FINALLY FIGURED THIS THING OUT!**

 **I have been trying for so long to try to figure out what to do next, I was totally stuck. But not anymore! I finally figured this out! Thank god too. My head was starting to hurt from how hard I was thinking. Good news though, we finally get to see some action!**

 **HELL YEAH!**

 **Also, what happened to y'all? There was like a million reviews and followers and favorites on the original version. Do you guys just not like this? Cuz there's these things called "reviews" and it's a cool thing that lets you voice your thoughts and opinions. So if you're like** "Hm, that's okay but I totally would have worded that different" **then leave a review and let me know. I'll go back and fix it. I hardly ever ignore reviews. Your opinions and ideas are important to me**

 **ANYWAY! STORY TIME!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Waking up the next morning, Makayla felt a pit in her stomach.

As she dressed, she tried to calm herself, reminding herself that being unfocused could cause her to lose focus and losing focus could become a fatal mistake in the mission to come. So she took another deep breath and buckled her sword around her waist.

As she did so, there was a knock at her door. Opening the door, she was surprised to see familiar faces.

"Hunter, Sam. Hey, what's up?" She greeted.

"Hey gurl! Boss asked us to come to get you," Hunter explained as he adjusted Sam's hold on his arm.

Makayla nodded and, after grabbing her bag, followed the two down the halls to what looked like a large meeting hall. There were a little less than a dozen people occupying some seats, Kratos standing at the head of the table. He no longer wore his cloak from the day before so he was clearly visible. He gave Makayla a small nod and flashed a quick smile as she entered the room.

Following Hunter and Sam, she claimed a seat.

"Welcome. Now that we are all here, we may begin," Kratos announced.

The next two hours passed Makayla in a blurred flash. The twelve others and herself were given in intense detail the plan of action.

She, Kratos, and a hunter named Liam would hide in sight of the Serpent's Base's entrance until a guard would leave. Liam would them ambush the guard, drugging them to unconsciousness. Being a god, Kratos would then take their place, Makayla acting as though she were his and Liam's prisoner. The three would then enter the base via the secret entrance.

As they did so, the other members of their team would sit in wait ways down the road. Once inside the base, Kratos would send a signal to the others alerting them. Then by two groups of four, several of the Hunters would too enter the base, leaving a large time-gap between each group.

Makayla would break off once inside while the god searched for Ganabranth. Once found, Kratos and/or Liam would send a second signal to the group leader (who Makayla had failed to remember the name of) and one of the small groups would let the other twelve Hunters into the base before joining Kratos for an ambush attack.

Makayla replayed every detail of the plan in her mind as she double checked she had everything she needed and climbed into Hunter's car. She, Hunter, and Liam would take Hunter's car while Kratos and the other group members followed in the Giant Hunter's vehicles.

"It's an eight hour trip to Georgia. Got everything you need?" Hunter asked his two passengers as he started the engine to his car. Makayla answered in the affirmative, as did Liam, and the three were off.

* * *

To Makayla, the eight-hour drive seemed to take days. She felt more and more sick with each mile. Anxiety bubbled up in her chest until she began to feel suffocated. She tried several times to sleep but was unable. When stopping for meals, she found she had little to no appetite.

 _'Just calm down,'_ She repeatedly told herself. _'You can do this. You don't even have to fight him. Or see him. Or maybe even hear him. You just gotta go in, find her, and get her out.'_

Makayla shook her head and took several deep breaths.

"Yo, you okay?" Liam asked from the backseat, seeing her nervous breaths.

"Yep! I'm fine!" Makayla answered, a little too fast. The hunter looked unconvinced.

"You sure about that? You look and sound very not fine." He noted.

"Yeah, you're like _super_ pale." Hunter agreed, turning the volume of the radio down. "You good?"

Makayla frowned, giving up her act.

"What do you think?! _Of course,_ I'm not okay!" She exclaimed. "Would you be okay if you were in my place? If you were going back to the place you were beaten, tortured, captured, branded, and traumatized at?!"

Seeing the surprised and hurt expressions of the two boys, Makayla felt immediately guilty.

"I'm sorry." She sighed, playing with her hair. "I'm just- I'm so nervous and anxious. I _really_ don't want to be doing this."

"Then why are you?" Liam asked. Hunter turned off the radio to let Makayla talk.

"I'm going back… well, because I have to." The redhead admitted. "While I was there, I met a friend. Her name is Lauren and she's the reason I'm alive.

"Lauren was a prisoner of the Serpents long before I was. She said she remembered counting four years being there before she lost track. She was actually a member before one of the other members turned on her. She um… she didn't remember why though." Makayla lied. She took a breath before continuing, seeing the interest the two boys gave.

"We were in separate cells at first but she either bribed the guard or annoyed him until he brought her to be in my cell with me. I don't remember which. We were apart from the majority of my time there as one of us were usually taken away for, um… for-uh, questioning. So many times I wanted to give up or give in but she kept me strong and kept me sane. She was- she i _s_ my rock." Makayla smiled faintly as she thought of her friend. Then the smile faded. "I owe her my life. _More_ than my life. Getting her out of that horrible place is the very least that I can do. She deserves that much. Plus… I promised her I'd be back for her."

"How do you even know she's still there?" Hunter asked, his question more curious than rude, eyes still on the road.

Makayla paused then reached down and untied something from her leg; it was a small anklet made of thick string with a small silver L in the middle.

"She gave this to me a few days after we met. I've kept it since." She explained. "She said that as long as it's still together, she's still alive. I'm not sure what that means exactly but I trust her. And I just _know_ she's still alive in there. I can feel it."

Makayla replaced the string back around her ankle. There was silence in the car for a short moment.

"I'm not the smartest person when it comes to magic anklets or evil gangs," Liam started "But I _can_ tell when someone means a lot to a person. Don't worry Makayla, I can tell just from the way you talk about her that you'll find a way to keep your promise."

Makayla smiled.

* * *

Makayla cursed the gods for the millionth time that day.

As soon as they got to Athens (Georgia) thing went wrong almost immediately. Makayla, Hunter, and Liam had arrived at the rondevu point early and were waiting for Kratos and the rest of their group at a fast food joint down the road. The three made small talk before Liam got a message saying that the rest of their group were about half an hour out, so the three left and headed back to their rondevu point, a back corner of the nearby mall.

They had the hood back on Hunter's convertible and were just sitting and thinking of ideas for an Alias for Makayla when there was a large crash and explosion followed by loud screeching. The three demigods exchanges a glance before jumping out of the car and running in the direction of the explosion.

Makayla knew that there were bound to be monsters almost everywhere in the States so she wasn't surprised to see a dozen or so Dracaena and Empousa ganging up on a few half-bloods. Their backs were turned so she was unable to see their faces but she noticed they were two boys and a girl dressed in all silver. One wall of the mall had been blown open, bricks and broken shelves scattered through the parking lot. A couple of nearby mortal pedestrians were running away from the scene. As Makayla, Hunter, and Liam got closer, several of the monsters then noticed the newcomers and rushed at them. So the redhead drew her sword and charged.

Within a minute, those monsters were destroyed and only four were left. So Hunter ran to help out the girl and boys and in a second, the last Empousa exploded to dust. The older looking of the two boys turned to thank Hunter and Makayla gasped, quickly turning to duck behind a nearby brick pillar.

"Amber, what's wrong?" Liam asked, seeing her stunned expression, using her new alias.

Makayla said nothing for a second. She brushed her long hair behind her ear then slowly peeked her head around the corner to get another glance at the three, hoping she saw wrong. She pressed her lips together and leaned back against the bricks when she saw that she had seen right the first time.

 _"Goddamnit."_ She muttered. "Why and how the hell...? Why me…!"

"You know those guys?" Liam asked, chin nodding to the three others. Hunter was walking back over with the two following. He gestured for them to pause and the four stopped. Hunter gave him a questioning glance but Liam shrugged, nodding to Makayla who remained behind the pillar out of sight. Hunter shrugged in return but nodded in understanding. To his right, the two boys and girl in silver were talking quietly, sneaking quick glances towards Liam and Makayla's hiding place.

"What's wrong?" Liam tried again. "You know these guys?"

"Yep," Makayla replied tightly with a low voice. "But they can't see me, they can't know I'm here."

Thinking they were Serpent members, Liam's eyes widened for a split second before he fixed his expression, nodding. He gestured to Hunter and the four started over again. Left hand moving to his front pocket, Liam then slid his right hand across his forehead as though brushing his hair away.

It was a casual movement but Hunter recognized it as the movement code for "Serpents member(s)". His eyes flicked to the girl in silver and two boys. He moved his right hand to his pocket and slid his left hand across his forehead, the same movement at Liam's but mirrored, showing that he understood the message. His fiery spiked hair shone from the sun.

A second later, bother Hunter and Liam had pulled their weapons out, Hunter holding his short spears and Liam a pair of matching bronze pistols, and had them aimed at the three. The small group started, not expecting the movement.

"Tell us where your base is now or each one of you will-" Liam threatened.

Makayla's eyes widened and she jumped from her hiding place, jumping in front of the three and grabbing Liam's arm.

" _No!_ That's not what I meant! Don't hurt them!" She quickly exclaimed before he could say or do anything else. Liam and Hunter exchanged a glance.

"Well what else would you have meant and how would we have known they were anyone else?" Hunter asked a bit sarcastically.

"Makayla?!" The older boy exclaimed at the same time.

Makayla closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. She slowly turned around and forced a weak smile.

"Hey… Percy. So, uh... what're you doing here?"

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-ninth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Please, leave a review because criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I. Hate. The. Sun.**

 **That's all I'm gonna say.**

 **(Also, my phalanges ****hurt too much to move right now)**

 **I hope you enjoy the completed version of this chapter and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Author's Note:

I know I already posted the beginning of this chapter but it actually wasn't finished and I don't even know why I posted it before.

Phalanges are limbs

Superfetation means a child born of three or more parents

* * *

Makayla knew she was f*cked as soon as she got a glimpse of Percy's sea green eyes.

Her mind was running with questions of why the hell he was in Georgia. She didn't recognize the girl beside him; she was wearing a bunch of silver clothes, carried a bow, and had a weird silver circlet resting on her forehead.

"Hey… Percy. What's up?" She tried weakly, hating the shocked look of recognition on her friend's face.

"What's up?!" Percy repeated in exasperation, his surprise fading. "Are you serious? Makayla, what the hell happened to you?! You just disappeared! Do you have any idea how worried everyone has been?!"

"I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone." She winced. "I meant the opposite. I didn't want to be the reason he hurt people at camp and he would have if I stayed. So I had to leave."

"Makayla. Leo and Ashlyn have been going _crazy_ , Jakob barely leaves his cabin, Will is worried freaking about you, even _Nico's_ been more bummed than normal." Percy told her seriously.

Makayla felt the pit in her stomach and looked down, ashamed. She opened her mouth to answer but the girl spoke first.

"Wait, is she the one you told us about Perc?" She asked, her silver circlet shining in the sun. Percy nodded. The girl crossed her arms

"So you're the one that's been causing such a commotion at camp." She guessed, voice snobby. Makayla frowned.

"It's not like I try to." She argued.

"Doesn't matter if you try to. It's still because of you."

"Of course it is! Because _everything_ is the world is _always_ -!"

"Thalia, Makayla, not now!" Percy interrupted.

"You wanna tell us who these guys are?" Liam asked Makayla. The redhead sighed, running a hand through her long red hair.

"Liam, Hunter, this is my friend Percy. He's from the Greek camp." She introduced. "But I, uh, don't know his friend."

"This is Thalia. We were on a bit of a mission just now." Percy introduced. "You said greek camp. You guys from Camp Jupiter then?"

"He is." Liam corrected, jutting a finger at Hunter. "I never went to either camp." He looked at the sky then down at his pager. "Guys, we need to go like right now. Boss just showed up."

"Where are you going?" Thalia asked.

"Somewhere we can't say," Hunter answered simply, moving back in the direction of his car.

"And why not?" Thalia asked as they followed.

"Because technically the place doesn't exist and those who know about it are either dead, an enemy, or are otherwise silenced," Makayla answered before the roman could. Percy froze.

"No. No way, you are not- Makayla you can't go back there!" The son of Poseidon exclaimed, dead serious. Makayla stopped, causing the other demigods to as well. She sighed.

"I know what you're thinking Percy and I don't want to. But, to be honest, this is important to me. So I have to." She said quietly, avoiding his sea green eyes.

Liam and Hunter shared a glance before slipping away back towards the car. Percy gestured to his friends and they too gave them some space.

"Makayla… I don't know you very well but you've told me and showed me what happened to you." He said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Sirens were heard in the distance, the exploded part of the building still smoking. "I never beg for anything but right now as your friend, I am _begging_ you; _please_ don't go back there! You and I both know what will happen and I won't be able to live with myself if I don't stop you."

Makayla shook her head, ready to protest. But before she could, someone cut in the conversation.

"Percy Jackson. It's been a while." Kratos announced, seemingly appearing beside the redhead.

"I know you," Percy replied with narrowed eyes. "You're Kratos."

Makayla silently noted that he had ditched his black cloak, wearing instead casual jeans and a dark blue flannel top. The god gave a single nod.

"Indeed." He turned to face Makayla. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we should get going. The deadline is getting close."

Said girl felt as her heart sank to her stomach. She silently nodded, clearing her throat, not trusting her voice to refrain from shaking. She took a deep breath.

"It was nice to see you again Percy." She said farewell. The look on the son of Poseidon's face made her want to take it back. "Well… bye, I guess."

She turned to leave but froze when a voice called out,

"Yo Perc! I got the parts! We all good to go?"

Makayla groaned out loud and buried her face in her hands.

"Are you _serious?! You too?!_ " She exclaimed, turning to face her brother with a look of exasperation. "Who else is here?!"

Leo looked taken back and froze. The parts in his hands dropped to the ground and he immediately walked over to his sister, yanking her into a tight hug.

"What…? Why- how-?" He seemed unable to finish or even start his sentence. He looked ready to go into a long rant about her leaving but she beat him to it.

"What are you doing here?!" Makayla groaned, breaking the hug.

"Chiron sent us." He answered with a frown.

"He told us he lost contact with an old friend here," Percy supplied "And guessed something technical was going on so he sent me and Leo. We ran into Thalia on the way."

Makayla groaned and buried her face in her hands. She forced herself to take several deep breaths. She almost couldn't believe her rotten luck. Of every place in the US….

"Amber, we really need to go!" Hunter called from his car. Her alias got weird looks but she waved them off.

"Okay, here's the plan," She started, getting her friends attention. "You guys are on a mission, I'm doing my own thing. So right now we are going to go our separate ways and forget we saw each other." Percy and Leo immediately began to protest but she held up a hand to stop them. "Guys, I have to go. I'm doing something _really_ important right now and I can't afford to get distracted. I'm sorry I have to say goodbye again, but if this goes right then I should be able to go home to everyone. Okay?"

Makayla smiled sadly before giving her brother and friend a hug. Without another word, ignoring the boy's many loud protests and avoiding their attempts to stop her, she then turned and hurried over to Hunter's car. She climbed in and waved sadly as her brother and friend disappeared behind her.

* * *

Makayla bit her lip, forcing herself to keep back her tears.

Looking in the rearview mirror, she could see her brother on his knees as he watched helplessly. Percy's hand was on his shoulder in an attempt of comfort. She winced as Leo's head snapped up to Percy then to the car, figuring the son of Poseidon told him where she was going. The mechanic suddenly jumped to his feet and took off after the car. Unfortunately, the three were too far away and he soon faded from her sight.

Makayla sighed heavily as she leaned against the seat.

"They some friends of yours?" Liam asked.

"Something like that." She answered vaguely. Sensing she didn't want to talk, Liam neglected to respond.

It only took a minute for the red convertible to arrive at the new renvué point. Makayla saw the Giant Hunter's van parked in the corner and they made their way over. Kratos stood talking with one of the mission leaders, looking up when the red car came to a stop.

"You ready?" He asked the daughter born of superfetation. She began to nod then paused, not sure. Instead, she shrugged. "Understandable." He turned to the group of twelve. "Before we move to the entrance, a review of our plan has been requested but because of the dangers of spies I need to know beforehand who remembers?"

Ten of the twelve hands rose, two making a 'so-so' movement as though they remember only partly. Nodding, Kratos brought the two into the van to recap the plan. After exiting, he nodded to Liam and Makayla and the three started off.

Leading the way to where she remembered the secret entrance to be, Makayla felt doubts and worries enter her mind, making her stomach feel queasy.

 _'What if I'm wrong?'_ She thought. _'My memories could be fake and I could end up leading them blindly into a trap! Ugh, maybe I should just bail; just lead them to the entrance then just go… NO! No, I have to save Lauren! I promised I would and I have to keep my promise.'_

Makayla started when she felt a hand slip into hers. She felt a rush of strength and looked over to see Kratos beside her, his hand in hers. Looking from the corner of his eye, he winked. Makayla felt a small smile come to her lips and gently squeezed his hand in response. She felt her confidence grow slowly as Kratos shared his strength and took another deep breath.

Reaching the correct streets, Makayla signaled for her companions to stop. The two looked at her and she nodded, the secret entrance now in sight though still a distance away. The graffitied wall looked exactly as it did in her memories: a cracked mirror with three 9's along the top. The three found a small café across the street and down a way, the wall just barely in sight. Looking casual as possible, the three ordered some drinks and sat to wait.

A good ten to twenty minutes passed before they saw three boys round the side of the building, coming from the direction of the mirror though looking as though they exited the abandoned building.

Looking closer, Makayla saw a hint of a tattoo around one of the boys' wrists. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted the snake's head. Sharing a glance, Makayla, Liam, and Kratos nodded and set their plan into motion.

Casually, Liam stood and made a gesture of farewell to the redhead and god, the two repeating the gesture. He started off in the same direction the three boys were heading, looking as though he were just heading to the crosswalk. He arrived just before the three boys and purposely neglecting to press the button to cross.

Unable to hear their voices but able to read lips, from the corner of her dark silver eyes Makayla could see that Liam and the three were already arguing. The four then crossed the street, still arguing, and disappeared from her sight. Two minutes later, Kratos' pager vibrated and he stood, reaching a hand out to help Makayla up.

"Ready to go, darling?" he asked with a sweet smile.

Nodding, the redhead accepted his hand and slipped unnoticed into a passing group of people. They too headed to the crosswalk though going in separate directions. The two arrived where Liam had led the three unsuspecting boys and found the hunter crouched over three unconscious bodies, holding a rag damp with liquid anesthesia against one of their mouths.

"Took your time?" he asked sarcastically. He had a large bruise on his arm and his bottom lip was bleeding.

"Would you rather we rush and look suspicious then be spotted by spies so we're all taken hostage and tortured?" Makayla retorted.

"... Tushé."

The brunet hunter slipped off the brown-haired boy's shirt and jacket, putting them on himself. Kratos changed his look so he then looked like one of the other boys. The three again shared a nod, though each of them looked more nervous than before.

 _'Understandable as we're about to enter the most dangerous, deadly, and secretive hidden liar of the evilest man ever.'_ Makayla thought.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Kratos asked Makayla, startling her. She took a long moment to think before she answered.

"As I said before; I don't want to but I will anyway." She nodded.

"May Tyche bless us with luck." The minor god muttered.

With that, Makayla, Kratos, and Liam left towards the secret base of The Serpents.

* * *

 **And that concludes the fortieth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you chose to continue. Please, leave a review because criticism, complaints, advise, and/or compliments are welcome to be said.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I am _so_ _sorry_ I took so long to update!**

 **BUT! I have had a _lot_ of stuff going on with my dad's wedding, family vacation, my newly broken wrist/arm and it's surgery and then recovery, now trying to type with one hand because of said broken wrist/arm. So with all that I haven't been able to work a lot.**

 **I also have now gained a fear of bicycles. I decided they have been turned evil by an unseeable force as mine decided to skid and flip (yes, _literally_ flip) and land me on my arm. Yeah, my arm snapped :/ My radius cracked, I fractured my trapezoid, and my ulna snapped in 2 places. N** **ow I'm in a cast and THIS. SUCKS. _A*S!_** **It hurts _so bad_ plus I can't do anything cuz it's my dominant hand! So now I have to go about life trying to figure out how to use my left hand.**

 **Anyway! Enough whining, you guys have been waiting a long while for this update so I made it nice and long. Ready?**

 _ **HHHEEERRREEE WE GOOO!**_

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla felt her blood run cold and heart stop as she stared at the wall in front of her.

Staring at the image of the broken mirror, she felt herself freeze up. She couldn't do it. She couldn't do it, she had to bail! Kratos and Liam could do without her. She had to leave-

"It's alright, we're here for you," Kratos muttered. Slowly, Makayla nodded and placed her hand on the image. Second 9, first 9, the third 9.

The graffitied image shifted and changed the shattered mirror mending. A moment later the image began to waver and she took a silent deep breath before stepping through the image, she found herself moving down a long flight of spiral stairs. Making sure the two boys were behind her, the demigod made her way down the stairs, heart sinking with every step.

The stairs being surprisingly long, it was a good minute before Makayla found the bottom of the stairs. As expected, she saw there was a short stone hall with a thick metal door on the far side. A thin sliding window sat on the center top-half of the door as a means to look through.

Kratos glanced at Makayla and Liam to make sure they were ready. Liam tied Makayla's hands behind her back, loose enough that she could easily slip out, and hoisted her over his shoulder. Makayla allowed herself to go limp, playing the part of one who had been knocked unconscious. Still looking like the member they had knocked out, the minor god walked towards the door and pounded hard.

A second later the small hatch slammed open and a pair of bloodshot eyes greeted them.

"What do yuh want, Rickard? I thoughtcha boys went out tuh lunch?" A thickly Jersey-accented voice demanded. The eyes then noticed the two people behind the disguised god. "Who de hell is dat?"

"Not sure. Caught her snooping around outside and knocked her out. Thought we might bring her in for some, ah, questioning." Kratos told him with a knowing wink, his voice now sounded different as well.

The bloodshot eyes gained an evil glint and the hatch slammed shut. A few seconds later they heard several locks cluck and the thick door swung silently open to reveal a really short and rather overweight man.

"Yuh bettuh make it quick. Ya' dig? Yuh know de boss doesn't like strangers here." The doorkeeper warned.

"Unless he brings them in himself," Kratos added jokingly. The short man simply shrugged.

"A new cell just opened up, de toid one down. Yuh can toss huh in dere till Johnathan gets a free secon." He told him, waving his hand down the hall before returning to his previous position.

Makayla mentally gasped at the name and felt herself start to automatically flinch but she forced herself not to, remaining perfectly limp and maintaining her facade. The three started down the hall in the direction the doorkeeper had gestured but the halls were a labyrinth of twists and turns. Ducking into a side hall out of sight, Liam set Makayla back onto her feet and moved to walk down the hall.

"Wait." She stopped him. The two boys looked at her with a curious glance. She thought for a moment before holding her hands to Liam. He untied her and she rolled her wrists. "Gimme your dagger."

Frowning, the Giant Hunter did so. He and the god watched as the redhead knelt, gather a small pile of dirt on the ground. She looked at the dagger, almost scared, before sighing and pressing her lips together. She placed it against her arm and hissed quietly as she drew a crimson line, deep enough to cause herself pain.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Kratos demanded as he grabbed her wrist to stop her, voice low.

"Three people just wandering around unharmed will look suspicious. But two boys escorting a beat-up prisoner won't." She explained, voice solemn.

Makayla pulled her hand from her wrist and took a breath before drawing more cuts, several on each arm and a shallow one along her forehead. She bit her lip in pain as she knelt and rubbed dirt and dust atop her cuts, in her hair, all over her clothes, and on her face. She ran her hands through her hair to mess it up, trying to ignore the red that covered her arms.

Kratos and Liam watched with pained expressions as Makayla hurt herself, making sure to watch for guards or anyone walking by. She ripped several holes and tears in her shirt and pants, removing her shoes and tossing them into a dark corner out of sight. Standing back up, now looking like a worn prisoner she took a deep breath.

"I need you two to be rough." She said quietly. She received confused looks so she clarified. "You need to act like guards; push me around, throw me, hit me, make it look real." She saw Kratos and Liam begin to argue and held up both her hands to stop them. "Look. I know you'll be worried that you'll hurt me but trust me, compared to the other things that happened in this place, nothing you do will hurt me. Please. We have to sell this."

After a moment she received two nods and she smiled lightly. She gestured for Liam to tie her hands and he looped the rope around her wrists once more. Nodding, the three continued.

All of the halls were rough uneven stone or cold metal with hanging lights, giving the place a cold and evil feeling. They passed dozens of doors, some open to reveals rooms filled with metal tables, cells, and others with multiple means of torture but the majority were closed. In one they saw a group of masked figures who paid them no heed. One door they passed was down a short hallway to their right, kind of tucked away. Various odd symbols decorated the door but the serpent carved in the center was nothing but familiar to Makayla and she immediately knew what was behind the door, _who_ was behind the door.

"He's in there." She muttered.

"What?" Kratos asked, keeping his voice low. He followed her gaze and his expression dropped. He looked back at the redhead from the corner of his eye. "Is that where he is?"

"Yes…" Makayla's voice was shaking horribly but she showed nothing. She shook away her thoughts of the man who tortured and hurt her. "Never mind though. I- I have to find Lauren first and get her out of here."

She gestured for the boys to follow and they started back down the stone-wall hall. Several times they passed someone but they would take one look as Makayla and continue their way. One person they passed gave the three a bit too much attention for their liking. She gave the two a look from the corner of her eye and they got her message. She turned to the glance at the stranger but Liam shoved her forward so she stumbled and tripped.

"Keep moving." He ordered, voice hard and cold. Kratos grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, pushing her forward again.

Makayla saw the stranger had lost interest and relaxed slightly, continuing down the hall. At one point, a man dressed in guard's clothing stopped them. The guard was huge, arms and legs thick with pure muscle.

"Identification," he grunted.

Cursing herself for not realizing this may happen, Makayla hurriedly tried to think of something. Kratos paused then reached into his pocket as though grabbing something, letting go of Makayla in the process. So she took the moment and turned and bolted back down the hall, she heard the boys calling after her in character. She only got about six steps however before she was knocked to the ground by the guard. She struggled against him and was rewarded by a sharp slap across her face. She hissed in pain and bit her lip as the guard shoved her back to Liam and Kratos, who grabbed her arms.

"Keep her under control or someone else will." He threatened. Makayla, Liam, and Kratos all let out a breath as he marched away, glad they had managed to avoid the situation.

"Good thinking," Liam muttered, voice quiet enough that Makayla barely heard. She turned her head away, nodding as well in the movement.

Walking another minute and passing several more members, the three reached a dimly-lit hall lined with dozens of locked steel doors on each side, guards stationed at every other door, and Makayla stopped. Memories flashed through her mind but she forced herself to remain in the present moment.

"I know this place..." She muttered, mostly to herself. "I- I was here…"

She slowly walked down the hall, Liam and Kratos holding her arms as the guard would a prisoner. She suddenly froze when her eyes landed on the lone door at the end of the hall, guards suspiciously placed nowhere near. The large door had no handle and was closely identical to all the others except this one had a lock that was much more complicated. To others, this door would be just one of a hundred but to Makayla…

Slowly she walked to the door as though in a trance, the boys following behind her; she knew this place so they trusted her to lead them. She stopped several steps. Despite being several inches thick of pure iron, she could hear muffled crying coming from the other side followed by unrecognizable words and her heart stopped. She knew that voice better than her own.

"Lauren…"

Immediately the ropes were off her wrists and she was grabbing at the lock. It refused to budge and she shouted in annoyance and frustration. Kratos and Liam launched forward and tried to pull her away.

"Quiet!" Kratos kissed, placing a hand over her mouth. Makayla continued to struggle and he cursed when he heard footsteps coming towards them.

"Hey! What are you doing here?!" A guard shouted as they neared. "Only Johnathan and the Boss are allowed in that cell!"

The three froze but thank the gods, Liam had figured they would run into guards so he crossed his arms as he faced the two.

"What, you accuse us of trying to break in or something?" He demanded, his voice telling that he was offended. "Tell me, do you know who's even in that cell?" The guards paused, looking at each other before looking back to Liam and shrugging. He nodded. "So how do you know _this_ girl doesn't stay in this cell, huh? Exactly. You _don't_. And since the boss is usually the only one allowed inside, how do you know Boss didn't send us with her?"

Makayla held back a grin as she realized what the Hunter was doing, hanging her head and pressing herself against the door in a look of fear. Kratos noticed grabbed her arm, yanking her to himself. She felt strength coursing through her and she smiled mentally as she played the part and struggled against the minor guard, who still looked like the Serpents' member they ambushed.

"Alright! We get it!" The second guard exclaimed, interrupting Liam's rant. He shoved past him, muttering to himself, and a second later the iron door swung open. "We were just doing our job, okay? Geez. Just make it fast."

The two guards grumbled and muttered as they returned to their previous posts out of sight. Makayla let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and turned back to the door that was now open. Slowly, she stepped through the iron door as Kratos and Liam waited outside to keep a lookout. The room was almost pitch black, the only light coming from the slot in the door, and Makayla squinted to try and see. She walked forward with a hand out in front of her until the cold iron of cell bars met her fingers.

"Who's there?" A voice asked, it was weak and tired and worn but it sent a thrilling rush through the demigod.

"Lauren?" She gasped.

Her dark silver eyes blinked repeatedly as they began to adjust to the darkness and she could faintly make out a figure curled in the far corner of the cell. She stood stunned as the figure carefully got to their feet but remained in the corner.

"Who is it? You're not Ganabranth but you're also not Johnathan or the guard. No one else comes here so who are you?" Lauren asked, her low and sotto voice suspicious.

"It's me; it's Makayla." The redhead choked out. her emotions felt overwhelming.

"Kaykay?" Lauren gasped and she moved closer to the bars.

The light from the door was just enough for Makayla to see her friend and she gasped in horror. Her once beautifully long midnight hair was lifeless and cut short and unevenly choppy. Her usually honey skin was deathly white and unhealthy. She looked beyond starved as her arms, legs, and stomach were thin enough that Makayla could see her bones and ribs. Bleeding red marks were clear on her chest and neck as though she had been whipped and beat mere minutes ago. But what shot Makayla's heart was her friend's hazel eyes… gods, her eyes were awful. They looked dead and lifeless and dull, her pain and weakness clear as day. Yet the cautious suspicion was clear as she scanned the girl in front of her,

"Oh my gods. Lauren... what did they do to you?" Makayla gasped, tears appearing in her eyes.

"Are you- is tha- is this really you?" Lauren stuttered. "Are you- why- how-?"

"Lauren, it's me." Makayla choked out with a small laugh, reaching a hand through the bars. Her hand wrapped around her friend's but Lauren's eyes darkened and she pulled herself from her grasp.

"You're despicable." She growled.

"What are you talking about?" The demigod frowned.

"I really can't believe you'd stoop so low." She continued with anger in her weak voice. "It hurt the first time, I admit, and I almost broke. But now- now you're _mocking_ me!"

"What are you talking about? It's me!" Makayla tried. But her mortal friend turned away, shaking her head.

"It looks just like her." She continued sourly, voice beginning to quiver. "You had me fooled. What are you, a shapeshifter? A clone? A robot? It's good, I admit."

"Lauren, it honestly is me," Makayla tried again, heart breaking as tears came to her eyes. Did she not believe her? Desperate, she reached down and untied the band around her ankle. She held it in the faint light for her friend to see "Look, see? See this? You gave it to me before I escaped. You told me that as long as it remained intact that you're alive." Lauren shook her head again.

"You're mocking me." She gasped, voice shaking.

"Lauren, please believe me!" Makayla had tears on her cheeks as she tried to convince the girl she had bonded with when captive. "It really is me! I- I can prove it. You told me that you had been a member of The Serpents before another member lied and betrayed you."

"Stop," Lauren muttered, a sob escaping her lips. "Just stop it."

"You were born in Ohio and had a brother who died in the army," The redhead continued desperately. "Your mom left afterward so you grew up with just your dad. You- you used to play with dolls because the neighbor kids didn't like you. You were home-schooled until you were eleven because you have bad social anxiety."

"Stop! Stop it _please!_ " The mortal begged as she collapsed to her knees, hand on her ears.

"You never had a relationship because you've never been attracted to boys or girls. Your best friend growing up was from high-school. His name was Riku and -"

"Just _stop!_ You win!" She sobbed. Makayla froze. "You win, alright? I give up. I- I can't- I can't take this. You can hurt my body all you want, Ganabranth, but I can't take this. I get it; she's not coming back. But rubbing it in and mocking my pain is just _evil!_ "

The pain in her voice made Makayla realize that Lauren truly didn't believe it was her. She thought that Ganabrath was mocking her with a fake. She wanted to keep trying to convince her but her mouth wouldn't form words.

"I give up," The Black-haired girl continued, voice shattered and quiet as she sobbed. "You win. I- you- just take it. Take what it is you want from me, I'll tell you what you want to know, I'll do whatever it is you want; _please_ just stop. I'm _done_. I give up."

The redhead's heart crumbled as her sister-by-heart sobbed. She knelt in front of her friend and placed her hands on the cold bars, and tried to say something, anything, but nothing came out. Then her head snapped up as there was a sharp knock on the door. She realized Liam or Kratos was warning her and quickly got to her feet. She ran to the lock on the cell and scrambled through her pockets as she tried to find something to pick the lock with. Then she froze.

She looked down at her hands before she took a deep breath. She tried to focus and a second later a faint silver light appeared on her palms. Her eyes widened when the tick scar around her body began glowing as well. The thick pale scar emitted a faint silver light. She heard Lauren gasp and get to her feet but she tried to focus.

Makayla placed one hand on the lock and pressed her lips together. Not positive what she was doing, she imagined the gears and bolts and mechanisms of the lock and tried to force them to move. She felt a thrill in her heart when she heard a faint click then another and another.

"Who- who are you? What are you doing?" Lauren gasped.

The Daughter of Two ignored her and tried to focus. She heard several more clicks as she locked began to move. But then she felt her heart stop as voices began talking outside the cracked door. She could hear Liam and Kratos arguing with several unfamiliar voices and tried to force herself to remain focused. A rush of triumph ran through her as the lock gave one more click and several bars swung open despite there being no hinges.

"What's going on? How did you-? Makayla, are you- is it really yo-"

She was cut off when the two girls heard a shout and a fight broke out suddenly with whoever Kratos and Liam who had been arguing with. Heart racing, the demigod grabbed Lauren's hand and pulled her from the cell. But then the iron door slammed open. Out of reflex, Makayla swung her leg and the person was suddenly knocked back to the ground. Grabbing her friend's hand again, the two girls ran from the cell.

Looking to her right, she saw Kratos slam a Serpents' guard against a wall and punch another in the throat before kicked them back. To her left, Liam had drawn his twin daggers and was mid-battle with a guard. He spun and slammed the hilt into the guard's temple and they collapsed to the ground before a new one replaced their now fallen companion. Looking straight, four more guards were running towards the four with weapons drawn. A second later an alarm pierced the air, the loud siren slicing through the air.

Makayla saw and took in everything in a second, her mind was racing as she tried to figure out what to do.

"Makayla, get out of here!" Kratos shouted, seeing the redhead. He dodged a punch and responded with his own. "We've been compromised! Both of you, run! NOW!"

Makayla wanted to argue but knew there was no time. So, heart weighed with guilt, keeping a tight hold on Lauren's wrist, she took off running, leaving Kratos and Liam to the mercy of Ganabranth's guards.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-eighth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism,** **advise,** **complaints, and compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I know I know. You're all probably like,**

 _ **"Whaaa? I thought she was gonna update a**_ **lot** _ **slower cuz of her arm/wrist?"**_

 **Technically! You wouldn't be wrong. Yes, my wrist makes this _so_ much harder but being honest there isn't anything else I can do right now. I'm home ridden for another week as I heal. So I'm literally doing nothing.**

 **I work at a sandwich shop but I need both hands for that so I can't work right now except as maybe cleaning the tables or something but my boss insists that I stay home (I totally love my boss, he's _awesome_ ) so I'll be writing a lot more now.**

 **Yay for you guys! Well... kinda yay. There's gonna be a lot more Ganabranth now and we'll see a _lot_ more of his creepy-sadistic side. BUT! That's part of the fun of this!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 _IMPORTANT_

 _I know this chapter is gonna be pretty dam confusing but I promise that everything will be explained either at the end of the chapter or in the next one. So just bear with me and you'll understand_

* * *

Makayla felt tears threatening, her grip tight on Lauren's wrist as the two ran through the halls of The Serpent's base.

Every cell in her body screamed for her to turn around and go back to help Kratos and Liam but she knew she couldn't. They had been compromised and the had to get out of there, she had to get Lauren out of there. So she continued to run, past the dozens of iron doors, past the rooms or torture, past guards that tried and failed to stop them. She fought past several guards that took more than a skilled punch or kick to take down but she prevailed each time.

Makayla felt her heart race as the entrance hall came to view, the door at the end visible.

"C' mon! We're almost there!" She told her friend over her shoulder. Lauren only nodded in response, mere steps away from freedom

"You've impressed me once again, Beautiful."

Makayla felt her body freeze when a voice behind the two girls suddenly spoke. She skidded to a stop almost against her will, a single step from the doorway. She could feel her pulse in her hands as the blood drained from her face.

"Don't stop, Makayla, we have to keep going. Please! We're almost there!" Lauren quickly told her, trying to snap her sister-by-heart from her shock. She tried to sound strong but she knew her voice betrayed the fear she felt. She tried to pull her forward again but the redhead was frozen in place.

"H- ho- how did yo-" She stuttered, voice shaking horribly as her silver eyes turned lighter and lighter silver.

"Makayla, Makayla look at me," Lauren demanded, cupping her friend's face in her hand. "You can't stop. I know you're scared but we can't stop."

"Sure you can." His voice argued reasonably, standing at the beginning of the hall. "All you have to do is turn around and walk back in here."

"I- I can't- you..." Lauren felt Makayla begin to tremble under her touch.

"C' mon back in here, darling." He continued. "We need to have a good long talk."

Lauren frowned when she saw Makayla's eyes begin to flicker a silver light, not sure what was happening. Then her own eyes darkened as anger fueled her.

"Leave her alone!" She growled. "You've already hurt her too much!"

"Oh, you think I'm talking about our Miss Beautiful?" Ganabranth chuckled, folding his arms and flipping his dark brown hair from his face. "No, no, my dear. I was talking about _you_."

"Wait, what?" Lauren felt her heart stop.

"You didn't honestly think that we were done, did you?" The Serpents Leader's asked sarcastically. "And if recall correctly… you gave up." His voice suddenly regained it's cruelly evil mocking tone. "Just a few minutes ago you told me, and I quote, "You win so take what it is you want from me, I'll tell you what you want to know, I'll do whatever it is you want." So now you have two options."

He took a step closer and Lauren took one back, pulling Makayla with her. The redhead was still completely unmoving and frozen but from shock or something else, Lauren didn't know.

"And… what would those be?" The raven-haired mortal asked warily.

"I'm glad you asked!" Ganabranth exclaimed in a cheerful tone as he rubbed his hands together. Several Serpents' guards rounded the corner but as soon as they saw their leader, they turned and practically ran back. "Seeing how you willingly surrendered, your first option would be to come back with me. We'd go to our "questions room" and I'll finally take what I've waited so long to have. In return, Miss Beautiful here gets to walk right out."

Lauren felt her blood drain from her face. She tried to take a step back but was stopped by an unseeable force. She gulped, her handshaking.

"Or?" She pressed, hating his presence more and more with each passing second.

"Or… you can walk right out of here and never hear from me or my people again." Ganabranth offered. Lauren felt her jaw drop as her eyes widened.

"W- wh- what?" She stuttered.

"Yep! Right now, I am giving you the choice to walk right out of here." The older man offered, leaning casually against the wall. But the cruel grin playing at his lips made Lauren pause.

"What's the catch?" She narrowed her hazel eyes.

"You know me so well, My Sweet." Ganabranth chuckled.

"I'm not your sweet and tell me the catch." She growled.

Sighing, he straightened and brushed his hands together. He walked over to the two girls and stopped beside Makayla, who remained unmoving. Lauren again tried to back away but was stopped. She ground her teeth.

"You know why I call her Beautiful?" Ganabranth asked with an innocent smile as he twirled a strand of Makayla's red hair around his finger. "She is physically beautiful, yes, but her mind and behavior are too. I mean, she's strong and brave enough to break into the most secretive and dangerous base in this world just for a friend. And when that friend didn't believe she came to the rescue, she still took that friend and fought their way to freedom! Well, almost." He added after a second with a sardonic smile.

"What is it?!" Lauren demanded, swatting his hand away from her sister-by-heart.

"Fine." Ganabranth dropped the act, getting serious. He slowly walked around the two girls, eyes scanning them both. "So I told you the first choice; you stay and Makayla walks right out of here. The second… the second is that you get to walk out of here and be never bothered, hurt, hunted, or threatened again. But! If you do… then Makayla will have to stay here to take your place."

Lauren felt her heart drop the bottom of The Void. Her eyes glanced up to Makayla's frozen form. She was unmoving but her eyes told that she'd heard every word said and Lauren could see the message in her silver eyes:

 _"Go. I'll stay."_

Her eyes moved from her friend to the door behind her then back to her friend. She shook her head slowly. She knew what was right; Makayla had a life, family, and people who cared about her. Those people would be broken if she became a captive again. Plus, if she was set free then she could grow and learn and someday find a way to defeat Ganabranth and The Serpents. But she knew what she wanted; she had been a member of The Serpents for two years and had been a captive for over three. She was exhausted and so absolutely tired of the torture, pain, and hurt that was constantly afflicted. Just the thought of becoming a free woman was _so_ tempting that she almost didn't stop to think.

"I- I- I don't-" The mortal stuttered.

Her eyes were lowered so she couldn't see the flash in Ganabranth's eyes. He watched Lauren battle herself and knew he had won; he knew that there was absolutely no way that she would willingly stay here a captive.

"As I said, once you walk out then you'll be completely free. No more me, my people will leave you alone. You could start a life." He reminded her.

Lauren slowly shook her head, eyes raising to Makayla's still form. She placed her hand on her friend's cheek as a tear slid down her face.

"I am so sorry." She whispered, voice shaking. "Please… forgive me."

Just as The Serpents' leader opened his mouth the door behind him exploded off its hinges, slamming against the walls. He spun around to face the new threat and his eyes narrowed when he saw who it was. He smiled his signature evil grin.

"Well well well. It's been a while, hasn't it… Leo Valdez."

* * *

Leo had no idea what was going on.

One minute, he and Percy were on a mini-quest to try and figure out what happened to Chiron's old contact then they run into the Hunters of Artemis and were joined by Thalia. After meeting up with Thaila, he and Percy found that Chiron's contact was perfectly fine but his means of communication was just broken so they had to gather the parts to fix it. Of course, that meant that they had to be attacked by monsters. The next thing he knew, he was chasing after his sister to prevent her from going back to her the place she was tortured.

But he wasn't fast enough and she disappeared… again.

So Leo knelt on the asphalt in shock as the red car with his sister drove off and out of sight. Percy knelt beside him but Leo's gaze didn't move.

"Leo I- I… I'm really sorry." His friend said quietly. "I tried to stop her, I swear, but… she just wouldn't listen."

"She always was the most stubborn person I know." Leo's voice was fragile but he chuckled lightly anyway. Percy helped him stand but the mechanic's heart felt like it was heavy enough to reach the bottom of hell. He shook his head. "I just can't believe this. I- she disappeared for the third time only for me to find out she's going to the lair of the evilest person in the world," He held back tears. "And I have no idea where she's going so there's _nothing_ I can do about it."

"I never should have told you, Leo, I'm sorry." Percy apologized, hands clenched into fists.

"No, Percy, it's good that you did."

"Hey guys?" Thalia interrupted. "I'm not sure what's going on but if you really want to find out where she went, I can help."

"What?! How?!" Leo exclaimed. Thalia cracked her knuckles and grinned.

"Just leave that to me."

An hour later, Leo and Percy stood in front of a wall covered in graffiti. But somehow one of the images was opened like a door, leading down a long stairway.

"I'm gonna have to leave you here, Percy." Thalia apologized. "Sorry, but I need to get back to the girls."

"No problem, Thalia. Thanks." Her friend smiled. The two said their goodbyes and the daughter of Zeus left.

"You nervous?" Leo asked. Percy nodded.

"Absolutely. Let's go." He grinned.

So the two boys stepped through the secret doorway and down the stairs. At the end of the steps, they found a large iron door. Pressing his ear against the metal, Leo could faintly hear two voices talking. He recognized one voice and scowled. He tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge.

"It's locked," Percy noted. Leo paused.

After summoning the necessary materials from his magic toolbelt, he placed his small device against the door and he and Percy took several steps back. A second later the door was blown back off its hinges, slamming against a wall in the farside hall.

The two boys rushed forward but were stopped by a familiar cold voice.

"Well well well. It's been a while, hasn't it… Leo Valdez."

"Ganabranth," Leo growled.

"Indeed. It's so good to see you again." The older man bowed in greeting but the glint in his eyes told he was mocking.

Leo ignored him and surveyed the scene in front of him; Ganabranth stood several feet away, facing them. Behind him was a black-haired girl he didn't recognize and beside her, Makayla stood seemingly frozen, completely unmoving. The girl had tears on her cheeks and had an arm on Makayla's protectively.

"What are you doing? Let Makayla go!" Percy demanded. The Serpents' leader just shook his head, the cruel glint still in his eyes.

"Sorry but I can't. I just have _so much_ fun planned for these two." He denied, a fake pout on his lips. Leo's heart skipped a beat as his eyes went to his sister.

"Well you're just gonna have to find someone else," He told him, hands in smoking fists. "Because you aren't touching her anymore."

As if mocking him, Ganabranth took several steps back until stood by Makayla. As he neared, the other girl took a step away from him.

"I won't? You mean... like this?" He grinned and wrapped an arm around the redhead's waist, the other slowly brushing through her hair.

Leo growled and tried to rush at him but Percy grabbed him and held him back.

"Leo wait!" He told him. "Just stop for a second."

"Let. Her. Go. Now." Leo threatened. But the older man just smiled.

"Or...? What will you do, give me a sunburn?" he teased.

Ganabranth then twirled his fingers and a knife appeared in his hands, running the blade down Makayla's cheek. The redhead's eyes were almost white and her brother ground his teeth. But before he could move, the other girl spoke.

"Let her go, Ganabranth." She demanded, voice weak but determination clear. The Serpents' leader turned to her.

"Well, Sweetie, for me to do that you'd have to make up your mind and decide." he reminded. Leo and Percy frowned as the girl gained a look of horrified fear in her eyes.

"I- I can't…" She stuttered, tears forming. Her eyes flicked from Makayla to the door behind the boys and back to Makayla.

"While she's trying to choose, maybe we three can have some fun?" Ganabranth suggested.

His eyes darkened and fast as a snake he flicked his hand, the dagger was sent flying towards Leo and Percy. The two boys quickly jumped to the side and the blade flew an inch from them. The older man drew another dagger as Percy summoned Riptide from his pocket but before he could draw it, the girl jumped in front of them.

"I'LL STAY!" she shouted.

Ganabranth paused, eyes narrowed.

"I'll stay." She repeated, eyes down. "Just let them all go and I'll stay here. You can have what you want from me, just let them go."

Ganabranth straightened and nodded once. As if a switch was flipped, Makayla stumbled, able to move again. Leo rushed over to her in relief but his sister ignored him, instead throwing her arms around her friend.

"NO!" She exclaimed. "No, Lauren _what_ are you _doing?!_ "

"You won't change my mind. I'd rather it be me than you." Lauren told her sadly, hugging her back.

"I- I can't let you do this, you can't go back in there! Please! Don't do this, not for me!" Makayla had tears in her silver eyes as she begged her friend to take back her words. Lauren only smiled sadly, her tears falling, and hugged her sister-by-heart tightly.

"You came back for me, Kaykay, and I love you for that." She thanked. "We won't see each other again but just… just promise that you won't forget me."

"I- I promise." Makayla sobbed.

Leo grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him and Percy. She was sobbing as her best friend stepped closer and closer to the man who torments her every second of her life.

"Well, Sweetie, it looks like you _do_ like me. Good choice." Ganabranth winked. Lauren only glared. He turned back to Leo, Percy, and Makayla. "You three better leave before I change my mind."

"Lauren…" Makayla's tears continued to fall as her brother brought her back through the doorway and up the stairs, her best friend and sister fading out of sight behind her.

* * *

 **And that concludes the thirty-ninth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advise, complaints, and compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Yep, I'm back. And yeah I know this has barely been any time between updates but I already had the majority of this chapter written out so I really just needed to copy and paste it.**

 **OH OH OH! I absolutely _ADORE_ this chapter _BUT!_ you have to read till the end. That's where it gets good ;) So _please_ just keep going one more chapter. We're actually getting close to the end now. Just a few more.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _So I know that I said that I'd start explaining this chapter but I said that a bit too soon. This chapter will need more explaining and will be so next chapter._

* * *

Even after they had left the base, Makayla couldn't stop crying.

After Ganabranth had let her, Percy, and Leo go, the three had wandered Athens (Georgia) until they were somewhere safe and far enough away. They found themselves in the State Botanical Garden where they sat and tried to figure out what to do next.

"Makayla… I'm really sorry about your friend," Leo comforted, a hand on her back as she continued to cry. "But crying isn't going to help her."

"Well, what _else_ can I do?!" The redhead exclaimed, eyes red. "She sacrificed herself for me and there isn't anything I can do to help her-"

Her voice cracked and she broke down again. Percy and Leo exchanged glances but shrugged as neither knew what to do. So they sat with their friend and sister and tried to comfort her tears. It took a good five to ten minutes before she managed to stifle her sobs. Her breathing came in short gasps of air but her tears slowed to a stop.

"You okay?" Percy asked. She shook her head.

"No. Not at all." She answered honestly.

"Who was that?" He wondered. Makayla sighed.

"She's… She was in my cell with me when I was captive." She replied. "She's by far my best friend in the world. I'd do anything for her and I guess she would too. Cuz now she's- she…"

She fell into her friend's embrace and Percy just wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Don't worry Kayla. We'll find a way to get her back." He told her.

"Wait, what?" Leo's head snapped up to his friend. The two boys locked gazes for a long moment before Percy won their silent argument and the fire-user sighed. He started to say something but was stopped by a voice that Makayla hated she knew.

"Makayla? What are you doing here?" They asked. Makayla couldn't help but groan in exasperation.

"ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME?!" She almost screamed. " _You too?!_ Why don't I just post my location on the internet for the _whole world_ to see! What the _hell_ are you _doing_ here?"

"I- W- We're visiting for a family reunion." Adam stuttered, surprised by her outburst.

"But why _here?!_ "

"My mom grew up here. Her parents stayed when she moved with my dad." Adam explained, accepting a hug from his friend. Then he frowned. "Why are you here though? Last time I saw you, you were driving off with those two giant hunter people."

"I was," Makayla agreed, sitting back down between her brother and friend and gesturing for him to join them. "But afterward I met with their boss then we came here."

"To fight that evil guy who tortured you?" Adam guessed, crossing his arms as he sat on a bench beside theirs.

"Wait who's this?" Percy asked.

"And how does he know about you?" Leo added. Makayla sighed.

Summarizing but making sure to word herself carefully in worry of people of overhearing, she explained who Adam was and how she had met him again in Maryland. At her brother's insistence, she also explained everything else that had happened since she ran from Camp half-Blood.

"I got Lauren out of her cell and we tried to run but then we were stopped. Then that's when you two found me and now we're here." She finished, eyes watering.

"I'm really sorry, Kayla." Leo hugged his sister again.

Makayla started when Percy suddenly jumped to his feet, his Riptide pen in his hand. A second later his sword came flashing down through a previously disguised Empousa. Makayla and Leo leaped to their feet as well but they were immediately surrounded by monsters; dozens of Empousa, Dracaena, Harpies, and even Karpoi circled the four, far too many for three demigods to handle.

Makayla was thankful she had remembered to grab her sword from Kratos before she had escaped The Serpents' base, despite their unmatched numbers.

Then her eyes widened as she realized that they were surrounded.

Looking around she saw enemies on every side. She could feel Leo and Percy's back press against her own as the three stood together in defense around Adam. Her light purple eyes then narrowed as the attackers stopped, remaining circled them instead.

"What's going on?" Leo muttered. Makayla shook her head, eyes never keeping still as she watched every enemy in sight-range.

"I don't know. I don't like it though." She replied quietly.

"Guys, what's happening?" Adam asked as he was unable to see through the Mist. "What are these? Why are they just standing there?"

"Again, I don't know. I'm hoping we might be able to…" Makayla trailed off and her grip tightened around her sword when a familiar figure stepped forward from the ranks of enemies.

"Nice to see you again, Red. It's been quiet without you around."

"Johnathan." Makayla's gaze darkened as her scar tingled.

Besides Ganabranth, Johnathan was Makayla's most hated person. He was Ganabranth's second-in-command and, under his leader's orders, he had made her Snake Scar. She hadn't seen him a lot while imprisoned besides, very rarely, to torture her when Ganabranth was unable but it wasn't ever good when she did.

"That must be awful, having to hear your voice for once." The redhead retorted, glaring. "Even _I'd_ rather hear my screaming."

"Still got that attitude. Y'know, it was that same attitude that caused that mark of your's." Johnathan mocked.

" _Bullsh*t!_ You marked me under his order." Makayla growled, eyes dark with hatred.

"Makayla, who's this?" Percy asked as his eyes flickered from Johnathan to the surrounding enemies, Riptide tight in his hand.

"You asked me before who gave me my Snake Scar, Percy. It was him." She replied eyes narrowed. Leo's gaze snapped to the Serpent. His brown eyes too darkened.

"He did that to you?" He clarified. His sister nodded.

"Under his leader's order, he burned, cut, and stabbed their mark on my body." She confirmed. Johnathan chuckled.

"Still can't say his name, can you Red?" He teased. "I mean it makes sense seeing how you were his play toy for years-"

"What do you want? Why are you here?" Makayla demanded, cutting him off, already irritated by his presence. He gave her a look she couldn't read.

"Obviously, I'm here because the Big Man sent me." He relented. Makayla narrowed her eyes.

"What are you talking about? He said that as long as either Lauren or I stayed then the other could leave free and undisturbed." She reminded, voice suspicious. Johnathan chuckled at her words, taking a step forward. Makayla raised her sword and he stopped.

"You really should start paying attention to his words." He told her. "He knew you would bring that up and told me to tell you this: his exact wording was that if Lauren walked out and left you there then she would go free and undisturbed. But if she stayed and you left… he made no such promise. He just said that you could walk right out."

Makayla felt her heart drop and her eyes widened. She tried to search through her memories and her breath was stolen when she realized that Johnathan was right.

"As for what he wants… it's the same thing he's wanted since day one." The Serpents' member continued.

" _What_ does he _want_ from me?!" Makayla exclaimed in exasperation. "I have _nothing!_ He's taken _everything_ from me! What do I have that is so _damn_ important to that man?!"

For a moment, Johnathan looked as though he thought she was joking. Then he seemed to realize that she honestly had no clue and a smile crept slowly to his lips.

"Do you really not know?" He clarified, looking as though he were going to laugh. He moved forward again, stopping only when the tip of Ligro touched his chest. Makayla said nothing, shaking her head. "Oh my god, this is hilarious! You don't-?" Johnathan couldn't hold back and laughed until he was bent over, talking between gasps. "Do you- have _any idea_ how much pain you- could have saved yourself if- if you just _told_ him that? Hahaha!"

Makayla's frown deepened.

"He wouldn't have believed me." She argued, but she had a worm of doubt.

"What's he talking about?" Adam asked, still tensed and confused by the surrounding monsters.

"I have no clue," Percy answered. "Makayla?"

The redhead wasn't listening. Her mind was reeling; would Ganabranth have let her go if she had told him the truth? Or was he just saying that to mock her?

Makayla was so lost in her thought she didn't notice that Johnathan had stopped laughing. She snapped back to reality just in time to lift her sword to block an attack from the Serpent.

"GET ADAM OUT OF HERE!" She shouted.

Immediately hell broke loose. Monsters from all sides rushed forward in attack. Leo leapt forward to action as Percy dragged Adam off to the side and as far from the battle as he could, shielding him from attacks. He was slicing through monsters like a whirlwind, water from a nearby fountain lashing at monsters that got too close to Adam. Leo was the same, using his fire abilities to throw spheres of fire and flaming hammers.

Makayla took in every detail in a second. Her mind snapped back to the man in front of her, every ounce of her concentration focused on not letting this man win. She knew he was better than her but was determined to let her friends have time to get away.

She gritted her teeth as she blocked an attack from Johnathan, their blades were clashing together so fast and skillfully that several monsters actually stopped to watch for a moment before they were turned to dust by one of the half-bloods. Duck, slash, block, spin, stab, block, block, slash; the two moved with determination, angry passion, and

"You've gotten better," Johnathan noted as he stabbed his knives forward. She dodged and he frowned. "Shame you weren't this skilled before. It would have made things so much more fun."

Makayla neglected to reply as she moved with determined grace and attacked the man who hurt her, who marked her so she would never be free. She spun as she dodged an attack, his double blades slashing through the air an inch from her head. Slamming her sword down, the two locked weapons as she gritted her teeth in concentration.

"KAYLA WATCH OUT!" She heard Leo scream.

Makayla looked up from the locked blades in time to see a bullet speeding in her direction. She immediately dropped to the ground with a yelp, falling to her side on the ground. Seeing it was aimed at him, Johnathan too jumped to the side, the bullet coming close enough to rip through the side of his shirt.

Then time slowed for Makayla.

Her eyes turned silver as they followed the small piece of lead through the air. Then her heart stopped as it pierced the chest of the wrong target. She could feel herself screaming but couldn't hear, unable to move as he stood frozen with a look of surprise on his face as the red stain on his shirt spread. He slowly placed his hand to his chest, eyes widening when it came away stained crimson.

Everything in the world forgotten, vision blurred from her tears, Makayla scrambled to her feet and rushed to his side as he collapsed to the ground, Johnathan now completely forgotten. She slid to a stop beside him, her hands ghosted over him until she pressed her hands to his chest to try and stop his bleeding. She refused to accept the fact that the action would do nothing.

"No! Oh gods- _no no no NO!_ " She sobbed, her red hair falling in her face. She could see his chest movement growing slower and slower. "Oh- oh gods, i- it- it's okay, it's okay y- yo- you're gonna be fine! You'll- you're gon- you're gonna be fine, okay? J- Just _stay_ with _me-_ "

"Ma...kay...la…" He managed, his voice almost inaudible.

"You're gonna be fine! You'll be fine, just stay with me! Please!" Makayla begging, vision too blurry to see; her hands were covered in his blood as she continued to press his chest. She could see the light in his beautiful brown eyes dimming.

"As long… you're… last… I see…" He gasped. He coughed, blood coming to his lips.

"I'm sorry! I'm _so_ sorry thi- this is all my fault!" She sobbed, tears blurring her vision as they streamed down her face.

Makayla cupped his face in her hands, repeating over and over how sorry she was, begging him to stay with. Nothing in the world mattered to her; Jonathan had escaped but she didn't care, she was bruised and bloody but she didn't care. She only cared about the person on the ground in front of her.

"I… I l- love… you… Kayla..." He muttered.

Makayla's eyes widened when his eyes dimmed and he exhaled. She waited for him to inhale once more but he didn't. She suddenly found she too was unable to breathe. She quickly pressed her ear against his chest, praying to every god of every religion to hear a heartbeat. But there was nothing and her own heart seemed to stop as well.

"No. No no no! You can't-! Please!" She sobbed, shaking his shoulder and begging that she was wrong. "COME BACK! No, you can't- come back! _Come back!_ _Please_ you can't leave me!"

But Adam remained still and lifeless.

"Makayla...?" Leo started, slowing stepping closer.

"You did this…" She muttered.

"What?" Leo stuttered, eyes widening.

"YOU DID THIS! _You_ killed him!" She screamed, spinning to face her brother.

"What-? No! No I-" He denied.

"You killed him! He's gone now and it's your fault-" Makayla's voice broke and she collapsed back to her knees, hands covering her face as she sobbed.

"Kayla-" Leo tried.

 _"GET AWAY FROM ME LEO!"_ Makayla screamed, face red. Flames licked at her glowing hands as rage flared like a fire in her black eyes. Leo stumbled back; Makayla never yelled at him, no matter her emotions. She turned back to the lifeless body of her friend. "Just- go. Leave, now."

Leo moved to try once more but Percy grabbed his arm before he could. He shook his head solemnly and the two boys left the redhead alone, sobbing over the body of her lifeless friend.

* * *

 **And that concludes the fortieth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advise, complaints, and compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I WENT ON A PLANE!**

 **I'd never been on a plane until recently and it was _so_ cool! I had a medical test but there are only like 20 of the machines they use in the world so my dad and I got to fly to Ohio in the US and it was _sooo_ cool! I had the window seat so I got to watch as we took off and landed and flew through the clouds... 3**

 **I actually got to fly on 3 planes! One there on a straight flight, then we had 2 on the way back (which was really weird cuz why not a straight flight back?) that took us way out of the way but still got us home. SO it worked out anyway.**

 **Also, I don't know if it's linked to my broken wrist or something but I have been getting absolutely _horrible_ migraines the last few days so if there are a bunch of spelling errors it's because I'm typing in the dark because light hurts my head and eyes.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Hours later, sitting outside the hospital room, Makayla continued to cry.

Silent tears slid down her cheeks as she sat frozen in shock, staring at the hard floor. Blood still covered her hands and shirt but she didn't care. Her heart felt numb and heavy as reality set in. Beside her, Marian sat sobbing into her husband's embrace, baby Alex in her arms, and Eric rubbed her back comfortingly as he whispered to her. He too cried tears but they fell silent. Anna was sitting on the floor against her mother's legs. She was sniffling and repeatedly wiped her eyes as she hugged a small doll that Marian had explained Adam made for her.

Makayla felt guilt weight her heart down. After the small battle against Johnathan and Adam got shot, she had grabbed the attention of a nearby pedestrian and they used their cell phone to call 911. It was too late to save her friend by the time the medics had arrived but they tried none-the-less. Once in the Emergency Room, Makayla had used the hospital's phone to call Marian and Eric. The four had rushed over as fast as possible but they were too late.

Adam was gone

* * *

The next days passed in a blur to Makayla.

She remembered comforting Adam's family as she told them a fake story of their son and brother's death. She remembered being dressed in black as her friend was lowered into the ground, thunder rumbling in the distance as she cried. And she remembered saying goodbye to Marian, Eric, Anna, and baby Alex as they parted ways once more.

Three days after losing her friend, Makayla sighed as she laid in her hotel bed; Marian had given her enough money to rent one before they left. She wiped away a stray tear as she watched the ceiling fan spin, the only sound coming from the small radio quietly playing music on her nightstand.

She started and sat upright when there was a sudden knock at her door. She waited several seconds before silently walking to the door.

"Room service." A voice said, muffled from the door.

Makayla relaxed and opened the door. But as soon as she did and saw who was outside she slammed it shut.

"Makayla, _please!_ Please, we need to talk!"

Makayla shook her head silently and told herself not to reply to them.

"C' mon, we're just trying to help! And you know we aren't going away until you let us in!"

She recognized Percy's voice and sighed as she realized she had no choice. She turned back around and opened the door only slightly, the chain leaving it cracked.

"How did you find me?" She asked in greeting.

"We saw you at the restaurant earlier and followed you after you left," Leo admitted. She didn't reply and continued. "Look, I know you won't forgive me and I understand. I'm not asking you to. But if you'll _just_ let us help-"

"I don't need your help." Makayla snapped. "I can do this on my own."

She heard Percy whisper something and a second later there were footsteps walking away.

"Makayla… I wanna tell you something. It's something I haven't told anyone before, even Annabeth." He said, voice low so only she could hear.

She didn't reply and he took that as a sign to continue, taking a deep breath.

"The day before I turned 16, I was fought in a war." He told her. "Kronos had risen and was trying to destroy the gods so me, Annabeth, and the others in Camp Half-Blood fought to stop him. We fought against his forces all night. Annabeth and I went to Olympus just before Kronos had won and we stopped him. The thing is… to win and save everyone, I had to let others help me even though I lost a lot of friends in the process. I know what my fatal flaw is; loyalty. I'd do _anything_ if it meant protecting the ones I love and I almost didn't let anyone help." He paused and Makayla was tempted to urge him to continue. But she stayed silent.

"Look, what I'm trying to say, is that even though I was _so_ tempted to do it by myself, it was because I let others help that we won. And that's what you need to do; you have to let others help you because, with them, you're stronger. You can't do this by yourself. Please… let us help."

Makayla dropped her gaze, feeling guilt in her heart. Then she sighed. She unlocked the chain and opened the door. Percy smiled when she did and wrapped her in a tight hug, which she returned.

"Thanks, Percy." She whispered.

"You're a part of our family. Family sticks together." He told her firmly.

Makayla stepped back and a second later Leo walked back over, his eyes down in shame. She felt anger fill her chest but took a deep breath as she forced it down.

"Makayla, I'm-" He started.

"Stop." She cut him off, holding up a hand. He looked up but couldn't meet her gaze. "I can see now that what you did was with good intention. And even though I won't ever forgive you… I'll let you help." She felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips and she let it show. "Because we're family, and family sticks together."

Leo's brown eyes rose to meet hers, accepting her hug.

"Thanks, Kayla." He told her, smiling.

Then the three went back into Makayla's rented room and for the rest of the night, they tried to plan their next move. They agreed that trying to enter The Serpents' base failed and would be a bad idea to try again but the three of them alone were too weak for a frontal attack. Percy suggested getting Jason and the others but Makayla pointed out that they didn't have enough time. She knew that they had, at the most, a day to find a way to free Lauren.

Hours passed but the three could come up with nothing. By the time the sun started it's rise, they finally decided to call it quits for the moment and get as much rest as they could.

* * *

When Makayla finally woke, her stomach again felt queasy. She couldn't help but groan as she rolled to her side. Her hands went to her stomach and she sat up, seeing that Leo and Percy were still asleep. She stood and made her way to the bathroom. Looking at herself in the sink, she splashed cold water in her as she tried to wake herself.

She sighed. Despite the hours they spent planning, she Leo, and Percy had thought of nothing. She shook her head, deciding to shower to clear her head.

As the warm water washed over her tense muscles, she felt some of her stress lessen though it still remained. By the time she had showered, dressed, and finished freshening up for the day she saw that the boys were awake.

"Morning Kayla." Leo greeted. Makayla forced a smile in response, running a towel through her damp hair. Percy noticed her smile was fake and frowned worriedly.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Not really." She admitted, sitting on the bed beside her brother. "But I'll live. I'm just… This entire situation freaks me out and makes me so anxious and worried and scared. I 'm good at hiding it but it's- it's overwhelming."

"And that's understandable. But just remember that we aren't forcing you to do anything. This is all your choice; we're just here to help." Leo told her, wrapping an arm wound her shoulder.

"Thanks, Leo." His sister told him with a small smile, leaning into his embrace.

The three demigods again talked for an hour to try to figure out their next plan but again thought of nothing.

"I know we already talked about this but are you sure we shouldn't get Annabeth and Jason and the others over here to help? Percy asked as they ate breakfast in a nearby restaurant. Makayla shook her head.

"No. I already told you we don't have that much time. Even now we're pushing our time limit. Besides, it'd be so much harder to try and sneak around with six more half-bloods."

"I can see your point." The son of Poseidon sighed, taking another bite of his pancakes. "I hate that it's just us."

"What about those Hunter people?" Leo wondered. Makayla pursed her lips.

"I mean maybe. But they aren't stationed here and the travel time would be pretty long too…" Her cheeks turned pink as she looked down. "Doesn't really help that I kinda got their leader captured…"

"Kratos?" Percy clarified. Makayla nodded, having already explained her failed rescue mission.

After breakfast, the three decided to go back to the hotel to continue planning. Of course, being just her luck, that meant that they had to be ambushed on their way. Getting through the monsters was easy but the trouble came when they passed Baxter street. Not paying any attention to their surroundings at all, Makayla and boys walked right past the graffitied wall without realizing and immediately they were ambushed, gagged, knocked out, and dragged away before they had time to blink.

Not sure of how long had passed, the three woke to find themselves chained to a wall in a cold stone-walled room. Leo and Percy fought against the bonds but frowned when Makayla freaked out, screaming against her gag and struggled best she could, and they fought harder when they realized that she knew where they were. But the chains were too tight and their efforts were futile.

Makayla's eyes turned to silver when the door behind them opened and a familiar figure walked in.

"Good afternoon Beautiful!" He announced.

Makayla wanted to scream but was unable. Instead, she moved as far away as possible as Ganabranth pulled up a chair in front of the three of them. He sat in silence for a long minute as he watched the three.

"Y know, I really expected you three to be more of a challenge," he admitted, his voice was genuinely disappointed. "I mean _come on!_ We have a child of the Big Three, a fire-user from the Prophecy of the Seven, and the strongest demigod ever born. I had hoped you'd be at least _somewhat_ of a challenge. I'm getting _really_ bored."

Percy tried to shout something but was muffled by his gag. Ganabranth clicked his tongue.

"Tell you what," He decided as he stood, rubbing his hands together. "I have an idea!" Makayla felt her heart drop and narrowed her eyes, her Snake Scar tingling. "Who wants to play super fun a game?"

The Serpent's leader received three muffled protests in response.

"Okay good." He smiled, ignoring the protests. "I'm only going to explain once so listen closely. Here's how it works: I have created a playground that you three will be put in. _Your_ job is to find your way out of the maze and if you do then you can go free. But there's a catch." He didn't hold back the sly smile that pulled at his lips. "There will be challenges to face so you will have your weapons returned. But! You'll also all be separated. So if only one of you gets out then only that person can go free. Sound fun?"

Immediately Percy and Leo began shouted muffled protests but Makayla, surprisingly, remained quiet with her swirling eyes down. She knew by then that it was absolutely pointless to fight or argue. Ganabranth noticed.

"Aw, what's wrong Beautiful?" he asked, walking over to her. She frowned and tried to move away but her restraints prevented her. "Do you not wanna play?"

Makayla felt a shudder run down her spine and her breathing quicken as he stroked his fingers across her cheeks. She dropped her gaze but was rewarded with a sharp slap across her face; her head snapped to the side from the force. She could hear Leo fighting and struggling against his chains but couldn't get any closer to his sister. Slowly, Makayla rose her gaze to meet Ganabranth's and she could see the crazy glint in his muck-green eyes. But still, she could hold his gaze fore several seconds.

"There they are. Those pretty, pretty eyes." He muttered, his voice hard and cruel. He fluttered his fingers and a short knife appeared. Makayla's eyes widened but he only chuckled when she struggled. "Oh, this one isn't for you."

Without moving his eyes, he flicked his wrist and sent it flying to the side. Immediately Leo screamed out in muffled pain, the blade digging into his leg. Percy and Makayla pulled and yanking against the chains as they tried to help their friend and brother. But the thick links were too strong and her efforts gained nothing. The dark-haired leader watched for a moment before removing the three's gags.

"LEO!" Makayla immediately screamed. "Leo, just hold on! Just… just hold on, please, you'll be okay!"

"Well, _that's_ a lie." The Serpents' leader chuckled, watching with crossed arms.

"Let us go!" Percy demanded. "Just let us help him!"

The older man watched for a second before turning to the door to leave. Leo was going into shock, Makayla could see. Blood was dripping down his leg and he seemed significantly more nauseous. She hesitated for a second.

"Ganabranth, wait!" She called. He stopped and turned to her with a raised eyebrow, surprised by the use of his name. "Let us help down, please. He needs help." She paused and he started to turn away. "If you do then I- I'll play your game! I'll play your game but you have to let us help him first!"

Ganabranth paused for a second before nodding. He walked back over and released Makayla from her chains, doing the same for Percy a moment later before leaving.

"Leo!" Makayla immediately rushed to her brother's side and she and Percy helped him down, leaning against the wall.

"Goddamnit…" Makayla winced as she saw the wound. The stab wound caused by the knife wasn't that deep but it was messy, the blade had fallen out and left a longer cut.

"Hey, bro? You okay? You still here?" Percy asked his friend as he summoned some water. Leo nodded but his teeth were pressed together as the wound was cleaned.

"A purple-haired magic-user would be a big help right about now." He muttered. Percy couldn't help but chuckle.

"Yeah, she'd be pretty useful." He agreed.

Makayla ignored the unknown reference and cursed again as she slipped off her jacket, tearing it and tightly wrapping lengths of the cloth around her brother's leg above the wound to staunch the blood flow. She tore off another piece of cloth and folded it in half several times as Percy continued to use his water abilities to clean away the blood.

"Where'd you learn how to do this?" Leo asked with his teeth clenched.

"Figured it out over time," Makayla replied simply.

She frowned in concentration as she pressed the thickly folded cloth against Leo's leg and wrapped several more strands around the makeshift gauze and knotted it tight. She untied the piece around his upper leg and sat back with a sigh as she surveyed her work

"Not that pretty but it'll hold." She announced.

"Not bad." Leo applauded as he saw the makeshift bandage.

"I'm impressed." Percy agreed. Then he scowled. "But now we have to play that guy's twisted game."

"Actually… only I'm playing." The redhead winced.

"What do you mean?" Leo frowned. "You said we'd play if he unchained you-"

"No, I said _I'd_ play; I never said anything about you guys." She argued. Immediately the boys began to protest but she held up a hand to stop them. "Look, I already lost too many people I care about. I can't let you guys play his messed up game; it's a trap for his amusement and you'll only get killed."

"And you think we're gonna let you play?!" Her brother exclaimed as his friend helped him to his feet. "No way. Sorry, Kayla, but you're going to have to deal with the fact that I'm not leaving you."

"I'm with Leo." Percy agreed. "You're stuck with us."

Makayla groaned and buried her face in her hands. Why were boys so stubborn?! She closed her eyes and forced herself to take several deep breaths. She managed to calm herself and tried to think.

She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the lock disengage and the large door swing open.

"It's game time Beautiful!" Ganabranth announced happily as he entered, two unknown guards following behind him.

Makayla wanted to scream but her throat was dry. Instead, she clung onto her brother as though he were her lifeline. He put his own arms around her and held her tight.

"She's not playing your game," Leo growled.

"No one is." Percy agreed.

"Oh, that's a shame." The Leader sighed. He shrugged. "Well, I guess there's no point in you staying around then." He nodded to the guards and they left. He stepped aside and gestured to the door. "You're all free to go!"

Makayla, Leo, and Percy exchanged looks. There was no way he was serious.

"What are you talking about? What's your catch?" She shook her head, unconvinced. Ganabranth smiled.

"There is no catch this time. I'm letting you all go."

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-first chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advise, complaints, and compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **I have an absolutely _horrible_ migraine right now so I'll make this fast, just a quick copy-and-paste.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Makayla, Leo, and Percy exchanged looks as Ganabranth gestured to the door.

"No, seriously. What's the catch?" Percy repeated Makayla's question; there was _no_ _way_ Ganabranth was serious about letting them go.

The older man pursed his lips and walked around the three, hands behind him. In the dim light above them making his taper-style hair look pitch black.

"I understand you all have no trust in me, especially you Makayla," He started. Makayla frowned, wary of his use of her name. "But I assure you I am completely serious. You three have made this _way_ too easy lately and I'm getting so _goddamn_ bored. If I let you go now then it'll give you three some time to think and plan and figure out your next attack, henceforth making things more challenging."

He stopped beside Makayla, who was still clinging to her brother, and looked at her for a good long second before allowing a smile to slide across his lips.

"You know me better than these two," He told her carefully. "So tell me Beautiful… do you think I'm joking?"

Makayla's hands were shaking as she tried to remain strong; she forced herself to raise her silver eyes to his. Despite her efforts, she could only hold his gaze for several seconds but those several seconds were all she needed.

"He isn't…" She realized slowly. Percy and Leo frowned as they asked her what she meant. She shook her head. "He's not lying."

"Of _course_ he's lying," Leo argued. "He wouldn't just let us go."

"This time I would." Ganabranth argued. "This feels too much like a child's play and I'm annoyed and bored." He stepped back and gestured to the door. "Go on, before I change my mind. And next time… make things a challenge."

The two boys remained cautious but followed as Makayla very slowly walked to the door, eyes locked on the man who continued to hurt her every day.

"Before you go, Beautiful, I almost forgot to tell you something." Ganabranth remembered innocently, causing the redhead to pause. "I was walking around New York a few days ago and saw someone you know. I was quite happy to see him but he didn't seem to share the same energy, which hurt."

"What are you talking about?" Leo asked suspiciously as he stopped beside the door, arm around his shaking sister. A sly smile made its way across the Serpents' Leader's face.

" _Who_ am I talking about," He corrected. "I'm sure if you were at your little camp then I'm sure you would have noticed that he hasn't been around lately."

"Who are you talking about?" Percy demanded, Makayla clearly still too scared to talk. Ganabranth's green eyes flashed.

"Her boy-toy of course." He answered oh-so casually, gesturing to Makayla with his chin. Said girl stared in disbelief at him. Adam was gone so that would have to mean…

Ganabranth must have known what she was thinking; he grinned and snapped with both hands. Makayla gasped and her hand went to her mouth when someone appeared next to him.

His arms were tied behind him and a gag was around his mouth. Several bruises were visible on his arms and cheeks and Ganabranth held his knife to his throat. Makayla's mouth went dry; she knew if she, Percy, or Leo did anything Ganabranth didn't like then he wouldn't hesitate to kill Jakob.

"Looky here, I gotta pay Mr. Jakob a visit! I would say it's nice to see a friendly face but he doesn't seem to want to be very friendly." Ganabranth told them with a frown. Jakob swung his leg in response but the older man stepped back and the son of Apollo missed.

"Let him go!" Makayla demanded, heart racing.

"Awww! Worried about your boyfwiend? That's sweet but sadly I can't. See, I have a whole bunch of games planned for him and it wouldn't be very nice to make him miss it." Ganabranth pouted. "But Like I said: you three are free to walk out. Just thought I'd tell you so you don't wonder where he is."

Makayla clenched her shaking fists as she ground her teeth. He was mocking her; he knew that she would race to leave the Serpents and so he took a captive to make her hesitate. She _knew_ she wouldn't be able to stop him; he was too powerful, even against her, Leo, and Percy together.

Then she thought of something, something she never, ever, _ever_ would have done or even thought of before. Makayla closed her eyes for a minute, hating the thought but knowing that she couldn't let him hurt Jakob like Adam.

"I'll trade you." She eventually sighed.

"What was that?" Ganabranth asked, not having heard.

"A trade; I will give you something you can't resist and in return you let Jakob go." She offered.

"And what do you have to trade that makes you think I would do that?" He wondered. Makayla took a deep breath.

"Me."

Four pairs of eyes widened. Ganabranth looked pretty surprised himself. He hadn't expected that; she was terrified of him.

"Makayla, what the _hell?_ " Leo exclaimed, grabbing his sister's arm.

"You mean to tell me that you would trade yourself, one of the most _powerful_ demigods ever born, for a not-so-bright Apollo boy?" The Serpents' Leader clarified sarcastically. Makayla looked into Jakob's deep blue eyes. He shook his head, his beautiful blue eyes pleading her no.

"I would." The Daughter of two answered, voice small. Tears were already forming.

"You can't go with him! You know what will happen if you do. Just let them go, Jakob will be fine." Percy tried.

"No he won't and you know that. I already lost Adam I… I can't lose him too." She argued, her voice catching as a sob escaped her lips. Makayla could see the pain in her brother's and friend's eyes. She didn't want to do it either but there was no other way to save them.

"Please, Kayla, _I can't lose you again!_ Please?!" Leo begged, holding her arms, his own tears threatening. Makayla held back another sob and forced herself to ignore her brother's plea, turning back to Ganabranth.

"I swear on the River Styx… if you let Jakob, Leo, and Percy go, never bother or harm them again, and never have another to do so, then I will willingly come with you and return to The Serpents to do as you please," Makayla swore. Her voice shook as she attempted to hold back her emotions but she couldn't stop her tears from falling. A smirk slid across Ganabranth's face.

"Alright, I agree." He said. Thunder rumbled in the distance, sealing the deal.

 _"DON'T!"_ Jakob exclaimed after managing to slip the gag off. "Makayla, don't do this for me! You can't!"

"Too late! She already swore and I agreed." Ganabranth smiled cruelly, clearing having got what he wanted. He took the knife from his neck and slid it back into its sheath on his hip. He placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. "It was nice knowing you buddy but it's hard to say no to your girl."

He shoved Jakob forward and the son of Apollo stumbled. Makayla and and Percy grabbed him, steadying him.

"Are you okay? Where are you hurt?" She worried. He shook his head.

"You can't go with him," Jakob told her again. His platinum-blond hair a dirty mess.

"I already said I would." She reminded with a shaky breath, untying his hands. "I can't go back on it."

"What the _f**k_ are you _thinking?! Why_ would you do that?!" Leo almost screamed, finally snapping from his shock.

"Because I love you all and I can't lose any you." She told him, hugging him tightly then doing the same for Percy. Then she turned to Jakob, wrapping her arms around him. After a moment she pulled back a bit and kissed him, maybe their last kiss, but nonetheless filled with love. She had tears on her cheeks when they pulled back.

"Awww! How sweet. If I had one, I would say that warmed my heart." Ganabranth mocked, basically admitting he has no heart. He waved her over. "C'mon Beautiful. We need to have a talk, you and me."

Makayla slowly stepped back. Her swirling eyes stayed on her brother and friends as she slowly moved back to where Ganabranth was waiting.

"I'm s-so sorry. Goodbye." She sobbed as the knowledge of her fate began to settle. The torn looks on their faces made her want to run back to them but Ganabranth already had a hand on her arm. The three were in shock. "Don- Don't try to look for me."

"Yeah, she's right." Ganabranth agreed. "You'll just get disappointed so you might want to get rid of the "'I'll get you even if it kills me" thoughts. Miss Beautiful gets to stay with _me_ now and unless I let them, no one has ever found me. And many have tried."

Makayla could see the boys' heart drop. Leo lurched forward but Percy and Jakob held him back, telling him it would be of no use. Ganabranth got what he wanted, he had won that fight.

"I love you, I'll miss you." Makayla told them, wiping her eyes as her voice caught.

"Again: that's adorable. But I'm really not going to miss you, especially you two. You annoy me." He told Leo and Percy. Ganabranth turned to Makayla, holding his hand out. "Ready to go?" The redhead took a breath then placed her hand shaking in his.

And with that, Ganabranth and Makayla disappeared in a flash of red.

* * *

After the flash faded, Makayla blinked several times to clear her vision.

Once cleared, she looked around to see herself in a rather cozy living room of a surprisingly nice house. She frowned. Ganabranth said he was taking her to The Serpents' base so why was she here? Realizing she still had her hand in his, she let go and quickly backed away.

"Where am I?" She asked him warily, glad her voice wasn't shaking as much as she feared it would.

Ganabranth gave a relaxed smile and fell onto a nearby sofa, propping his feet up and gesturing for her to join him. Eyes narrowed, Makayla carefully sat on the couch opposite to him.

"Still scared of me Beautiful?" He asked with a disappointed sigh.

"Give me one reason not to be." She retorted, voice wary, sitting on edge. The older man shrugged.

"Okay, I'll give you that. To answer your question: Welcome to my home!" He announced, gesturing around him with a proud smile.

"You told me we were going back to the base. Why am I here?" The redhead was confused.

"Actually, you said that you would be willing to go back but I never said anything about going back." Ganabranth pointed out, grabbing a pack of M&M candies from the coffee table between them and popping several in his mouth.

"That didn't answer my question." Makayla crossed her arms. She had only been with this man for about a minute and he was already irritating her. She still was terrified, though she kept it hidden best she could.

"That is true. I brought you here to accept an offer I'm about to give you." Ganabranth announced as he sat up, setting the candy down.

"My acceptance or denial will depend on what the offer is," Makayla told him, refusing to accept anything until she heard him out; no deals or offers ever ended well with Ganabranth.

Said man pursed his lips.

"Fair enough. Just know that what I am about to do is very, very rare and you will definitely not get a second chance to answer." He warned. Makayla nodded slowly and he gestured to her hip. "Judging from the sword around your waist, I'd be willing to bet you know about its previous owner?"

"You mean your daughter- sorry, your _former_ daughter?" The demigod said smartly, placing a hand on the hilt of _Ligero_. Ganabranth's lips pressed together in a thin line.

"Yes." He agreed through his teeth. He took a breath. "So you know her story too, thats good. Makayla, I miss my daughter very much. I'd do anything to have her back and you remind me of her so much that it's like my baby girl is back with me."

"That's why you didn't like hurting me." The demigod remembered.

"Exactly. After all, who'd want to hurt the reflection of their daughter?"

"You seemed to love it," Makayla mumbled, playing with a strand of her red hair and trying to calm her racing heart. Ganabranth ignored her comment, standing and moving to a miniature fridge off to the side beside a large television.

"And that leads me to my offer. I am giving you two choices: one, you can return to your cell and we'll continue where we left off." He began, grabbing a bottle and popping the cap off before moving back to the couch. Makayla's body tingled and her heart rate began to quicken.

"Or?" She pressed, voice was already beginning to shake. A small smile came to the evil man's lips as he took a swig of his beer

"Or… you can stay here with me… as my surrogate daughter." He offered. Makayla's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

Ganabranth wanted her to be his daughter?

The thought completely stunned her. Until that moment she had been positive that he despised her and tortured her for a reason. But now...

"What... a- ar- are you- are you serious?" She stuttered in disbelief. Ganabranth nodded once, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

Makayla automatically began to deny it... but then she paused.

She knew that she definitely should deny his offer; he'd probably brainwash her or have her attack her family and friends. It was a terrible idea. But at the same time she knew what she wished she could say. She knew that if she had to go through any more torture from this man that she wouldn't be able to handle it and she'd finally give up. It was better for _her_ to accept but was it better for _others?_

"If I did accept, _if_ being the golden word… what would happen?" Makayla asked slowly, trying to stall her answering. Ganabranth raised an eyebrow bemusedly.

"Well, you would be treated and loved as my true daughter would. You'd have free reign of this my base, house, and the surrounding town. Of course, you'd be sworn to silence and the majority of loyalty but you'd practically be a free woman. And! As a bonus, I could even help you learn about and control your power as well as stop your flashbacks." He explained, gesturing to her with his bottle. Makayla nodded slowly, still shocked.

"I- I... I don't- I don't know." She murmured, light purple eyes locked on the floor.

"I'll tell you what," Ganabranth decided after a moment. He set his now empty beer bottle on the table and stood. "I realize this comes as a pretty big surprise for you so I'll give you until tomorrow to think it over. But I do expect a yes or no tomorrow."

The redhead nodded slowly. The dark-haired man offered her his hand but Makayla ignored it and stood. He chuckled softly and gestured for her to follow him. He led her from the living room and up some stairs. He opened a door to the right and she entered.

It was a bedroom, a little large but nice. The walls were white with the trims black, a large bed occupying the left side with a nook-style room built into the wall above it and spiral stairs leading up to it. A dresser and desk lined the walls to the right of the bed and cove. On the same wall, there was a seated window with silky curtains. Several curved couches circled a black rug to the side and on Makayla's left was another door that led to what she guessed was a bathroom.

"You can stay here until you think over my offer. If you accept, then this would be your room. If not... well, I hope you learned to get comfortable in that cell of yours." Ganabranth told her simply before he left, closing the door behind him.

Makayla stood for a moment before collapsing to her knees, the tears finally falling.

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-second chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advise, complaints, and compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	43. Chapter 43

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 _*immediately runs and hides so avoid thrown furniture*_

 **I AM SORRY!**

 **I swear to whatever god there is that I _did not_ mean to wait this long! ****I'm really sorry, honest, but I have had SO much going on I have just haven't had _any_ time or energy to write anything. I had several surgeries and so I spent a good two to three weeks in the hospital for monitoring and recovery.**

 **For anyone interested, the surgery was a brain surgery called "** **Temporal Lobe Resection"** **and was a _really_ good thing! I've had seizures for 13 years and the surgeries might have gotten rid of them for good! My vision might start being normal! =D =D =D**

 _ **Anyway**_

 **I've kept you guys waiting long enough.** **Because I finally got my surgery, I'm in a good mood right now and so I decided to make this an extra good one just for you guys!** **:)** **So let's just jump right in!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 _Important Author's Note:_

 _1\. Because the surgery was a resection (removal) of a small portion of the visual center of my brain, my vision is just the smallest bit unfocused. So there will be a couple of spelling mistakes just because I can't really see words unless they're close up. I'm pretty sure I got the most of them ( got this cool writing help called Grammarly) but I wanted to warn you just in case._

 _2\. Also, feel free to send me a message if you're interested/want more details about my surgery_

* * *

Makayla opened her eyes and was greeted with soft light.

Looking around she saw she was still laying on one of the couches in the room Ganabranth had shown her to. The day before had been filled with numerous tries to escape: she had discovered that the bedroom door locked from the outside and couldn't be picked and the windows could open but were too high up to try and climb or jump out.

She sighed as she looked around. She had to admit that the room was nice but she felt no comfort. Sooner than later, she had to give Ganabranth her answer. But what would she even say?

Makayla shook the thought from her head for the present moment. Looking around, her eyes rested on the low table and noticed a fresh change of clothes. She saw it consisted of a pair of denim shorts, clean underclothes, and a red halter-style crop. She liked the outfit but her current one was plenty clean enough and knew that wearing the new clothes would show she was starting to give in to Ganabranth.

Plus, she felt pretty creeped out that he would give her such revealing clothes.

So she sighed and walked to the bathroom to freshen up, ignoring the outfit. She splashed her face with cold water to try to wake up; she kept telling herself that this was all a horrible dream but everything remained the same.

Makayla sighed, holding back tears.

Forcing herself to keep a strong facade, she tried to room's door and was surprised to find it unlocked. She slowly opened the door and poked her head out. She could hear movement from downstairs and took another deep breath before stepping out the door towards the stairs. She moved carefully, ready to run, but froze in confusion when she reached the bottom step.

Ganabranth was there, yes, but he was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. And not just cereal but eggs, toast, waffles, bacon, the whole deal.

He was dressed in an open green flannel over a plain t-shirt, casual jeans with a leather belt, and socks. His brown hair was combed back in a look of casual neatness. For a long moment, Makayla couldn't say anything as she watched him sing with the radio. She could only stare as he looked… well, he looked like a regular person. Nothing like the torturous, evil, gang-leader she knew him as.

He turned and then seemed to notice her.

"Oh, good morning!" He greeted with a warm smile and gestured with his spatula to the small table. "Come, sit. I made breakfast."

Thoroughly confused and extremely wary, Makayla slowly moved to the table, making sure to sit opposite to the older man. He noticed and raised an eyebrow amusedly, placing a plate of food in front of her.

"Sleep well?" Ganabranth asked as he sat across from her after turning the volume down on the small radio, happily helping himself. The redhead neglected to reply so he continued himself. "I did. Not sure why but I felt like I slept pretty nice last night. I woke up in a good mood so I decided to cook breakfast. Most of the time I eat out and I'm beginning to question why. I mean, I'm a _really_ good cook!"

He chuckled to himself as he took another bite.

Makayla wished she was hungry. It smelt amazing but her stomach felt too queasy to eat. So instead she sat awkwardly as he ate and chatted casually. He seemed to notice she hadn't moved or eaten and paused.

"You haven't even touched your food yet." He noted. "Are you feeling okay?"

Makayla couldn't help but hesitate as he sounded genuinely worried.

"Um… I, uh- I'm just not hungry." She tried weakly.

"Well considering the lack of food in the cells, if you're not gonna eat then I hope you accept my offer." He reminded casually. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the blood drain from her face. "You alright?"

"No." She admitted honestly. Her hands were shaking, and she was tempted to jump to her feet and bolt to the door. But she knew that was a bad idea and didn't try. "Imagine you were me. Would _you_ be okay?"

 _"Touché."_ Ganabranth chuckled. He stood and stretched his arms, grabbing his empty plate and bringing it to the sink. "You sure you don't want anything to eat?"

Not sure what else to do, Makayla grabbed her fork and carefully took a small bite of her food. She tried to hide her surprise but couldn't help as her eyes widened slightly; it was really good. The older man noticed.

"Eh? What did I say?" He chuckled.

Slowly, Makayla took another bite, then another. Before she knew it, her plate was empty. It was only after she finished that she realized that he could have put something in her food.

 _'Too late now.'_ She thought.

She held back a small smile as she felt herself relax ever-so-slightly. A belly full of good food felt nice. She looked up to see Ganabranth looking at her and felt that relaxation immediately fade. Her heart rate began to quicken and her hands once again shook.

"W-What?" She demanded. The dark-haired man shrugged, the smallest smirk tugging at his lips.

"Just thinking." He replied simply.

"What about?" Makayla had to force out the question.

"My offer." He stated, now serious. Makayla gulped as he returned to his previous seat. "I hope you've thought of your answer?"

Makayla felt her heart stop. This was the moment she dreaded: her answer would determine her fate and most likely the fate of many others. She suddenly found herself unable to speak, her mouth dry. She attempted to clear her throat but failed. Her hands shook enough that she was unable to even grab ahold of her cup. Her mind reeled a million miles an hour as she tried to force an answer to appear. She came up blank.

"Nothing?" Ganabranth pouted. Makayla could only shrug. "Bummer." He thought for a moment, hand on his chin before he snapped. "Y' know, I said you'd have to answer today but I never said _when_."

"What do you mean?" Makayla frowned, shoving her shaking hands into her pockets.

"Well, it's only…" He looked at his watch for the time, "Nine o'clock right now. If you still need some time to think, I can give you until tonight?"

"YES!" The redhead immediately agreed. He gave her a look and she felt herself blush. "Uh, I mean- um, yes… please…"

"Um, okay then. Tonight." He nodded a bit awkwardly.

He then stood and stretched, his back popping as he leaned back. He gave his watch another look then walked to his living room, gesturing for Makayla to follow. Warily, she did.

"I have a few errands to run before tonight," Ganabranth told her as he sat to slip on his shoes. "I need some groceries, there's a crack on my car's windshield I gotta get fixed, and I have to stop by work to check on some things."

Makayla narrowed her eyes as she sat across from him. Why exactly was he telling her this? And she couldn't help but shiver when he mentioned his "work" so casually. He noticed her expression.

"If you're wondering why I'd tell you, it's because I was going to ask if you'd like to come with me." He explained with an amused look.

"But why though?"

"Figured you didn't want to spend all your time locked up in the house." He shrugged, sitting up and grabbing yet _another_ pack of M&M candies. He seemed to have a slight obsession with the candy.

Makayla thought for a moment as she considered the new offer. She didn't want to spend any more time than necessary with Ganabranth, but he was right that she also didn't want to spend any more time locked up anywhere. Giving him a quick once-over, she figured he was less likely to act like the torturous-leader in public and agreed.

"Great!" Ganabranth jumped to his feet, rubbing his hands together. He checked his pockets, making sure he had everything before starting towards the back of the house.

Not sure what else to do, Makayla followed.

He led her through a door off to the left that open to reveal a small staircase that looked to lead to a basement. He casually walked down the steps but Makayla hesitated. Usually, Ganabranth and basements weren't a good mix. But at his insistence, she cautiously descended. They arrived at a second door but instead of opening it, Ganabranth paused.

"Real quick, I have a bit of a confession to make." He began, a strange look on his face. Makayla gulped.

"And wh-what-what's that?" She stuttered. Unconsciously, she made sure to keep a sizable distance between her and the older man.

"Not a lot of people know this but I like to buy and collect rare things... and _cars_ just-so-happen to be my favorites." He winked.

"Wait, what?" Makayla blinked. Ganabranth was a car collector?

"Yes indeed!" With a dramatic wave of his arm, he swung open the door and urged her in. Makayla stepped into the underground garage and couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.

Inside were a dozen of the nicest and fanciest cars she had ever seen. She'd never seen half the cars' logos but she did recognize a Tesla Model S, Audi R8, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom.

"Woah…" She gasped as she admired the vehicles.

"Yep. These are my babies!" The dark-haired man agreed with a proud smile. "It took a while to build up my collection, but it's a hobby I enjoy."

"What types do you have?" Makayla asked as she ran her hand along the side of the midnight-blue Audi. A smile, the first real and genuine smile she had ever seen, came to Ganabranth's lips.

Unknowingly, Makayla felt her fear of Ganabranth lessening ever-so-slightly as the older man talked about his love of cars. Yes, she feared what he may do in the future to come but that fear was beginning to change from him as a person to the things he might do.

"You wanna drive?"

Makayla looked up from where she was admiring the interior of a silver Jaguar XJ220.

"What?"

"Well, we still gotta get some groceries. And my dodge's windshield got chipped by a semi-truck last week," He reminded, gesturing to a blue Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. "So we gotta get that filled before it spreads. You agreed to come so I was asking if you wanted to drive?"

Makayla felt stunned. Ganabranth would let her drive his seventy-thousand dollar car?! She thought about it for a moment before sighing.

"As tempting as it sounds… I can't. I don't have a license or even a permit." She confessed a bit awkwardly.

Ganabranth nodded, hand on his chin as he thought.

"Hm. That's a problem." He agreed. Then he shrugged, grabbing the car's keys from a nearby set of hooks. "I guess we'll have to fix that too."

Makayla frowned, not sure what he meant, but followed nonetheless.

"You ready?" The older man asked, an excited look on his face as they climbed into his car. Makayla nodded and he started the car. The hidden garage door opened and the two drove off. As soon as the two drove onto the main road, Makayla's jaw dropped.

Palm trees, enormous buildings, beautiful waterways, sunny and clear skies; the city was-

"Beautiful!" She gasped. Ganabranth chuckled as he saw her expression out of the corner of his eye.

"Like it, eh?" He chuckled. "Yeah, this place is pretty great. Given, it's a bit crowded for my liking and the traffic sucks but it's still home."

"Where are we?" Makayla wondered as she gazed around.

"Welcome to The City Beautiful! I give you… Orlando!"

"Orlando?" Makayla repeated. "As in Orlando Florida?"

"Yep." Ganabranth agreed, cursing as a nearby car cut them off.

"But how? We were at the top of Georgia just yesterday. How'd you take me to Florida in seconds?" She asked suspiciously.

"That… is a very good question." The Serpents' Leader agreed. "But that… is also a question I will only answer if my offer is accepted."

Makayla felt her heart drop at the reminder and she slumped back in her seat, no longer feeling like she did moments before. She sat silently for the rest of the way to the dealership. Even after the mechanics filled the windshield's crack, she said nothing. She sat silently, missing her brother and friends. She searched every part of herself, praying to find her answer, but just like before she found nothing but sadness, regret, and fear.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

Makayla sighed; she didn't bother replying to Ganabranth. She wished she had a way to even call her brother but unfortunately, cell phones were like a monster-magnet to demigods. So she followed silently as Ganabranth shopped, ignoring the conversation he tried to make. Even when they returned to his house, which she saw from looked Mediterranean style and _very_ expensive, she said nothing. It was only at dinner when she spoke.

"I have a question for you, Beautiful."

Makayla looked up from the takeout Ganabranth had delivered minutes before.

"And what would that be?" She sighed.

"Well, technically it's a scenario-type riddle." He corrected, setting his fork down and leaning back in his chair.

Makayla nodded, gesturing to continue.

"Alright, let's say you're walking down a forest road when three flashes of light appear." He began. Makayla frowned, wondering where the conversation will go."One flash is red and the other is white. Respectively, the white flash reveals a small figure with a halo and the red flash, a small figure with red horns."

"A mini angel and devil?" Makyla raised an eyebrow.

"Essentially, yes." The older man shrugged. "Anyway, the third flash reveals a person that is tied up and gagged. Gesturing to the person, the devil says, "This person is evil. He killed a man and deserves to die. Kill him." But the angel says, "This man is good. He protected a child and killed the attacker by accident. Free him." Who would you listen to?"

"Why?" Makayla wondered. Ganabranth shrugged, crossing his arms.

"It's something I ask everyone. I just want to hear how you answer." He told her honestly.

"Um… I guess I'd listen to the angel and free the man." She answered hesitantly. He nodded slowly.

"Why?"

Makayla frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Why would you free the man?" He repeated.

"Um…"

"Is it because the angel said he was good?"

Makayla nodded in response to Ganabranth's question. He seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"Alright. Now let's switch it around." He decided. "Let's say the angel had said he was bad and the devil said he was good. Who'd you listen to now?"

"What are you talking about?" Makayla asked suspiciously in response. He said nothing so she continued. "I guess I'd do what the angel said."

Ganabranth nodded, completely serious.

"So you'd listen to the angel no matter what it said?" He clarified. Makayla began to nod then paused. "Is it just because it's an angel? What if the man really was innocent? Would you still kill him?"

"Of course not." The redhead denied.

"Right, because you knew the truth. So you'd do what's right even if it meant listening to the devil?"

Makayla felt herself hesitate before again nodding.

"Alright. Now let's say you _didn't_ know the truth." Ganabranth's gaze seemed locked on Makayla, watching her every reaction with intense focus. "Let's say the angel still said he was bad and the devil said he was good, but you didn't know the truth about the man. Would you listen to the angel? Or the devil?"

"I don't- I don't know." Makayla stuttered, shaking her head.

"You'd listen to the angel, right?" Ganabranth knew. He leaned forward, elbows on the table as he watched the redhead. "It'd be an instinct to listen to the angel no matter what they say because they are naturally portrayed as good and truthful while devils are evil and liars. You'd ignore your instincts if it said to listen to a devil, even if they ended up being right. No one wants to agree to something that everyone sees as bad."

"Where are you going with this?" Makayla felt fear unwillingly seep into her mind as doubt began to grow. The smallest hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of Ganabrath's lips. He took a sip of his drink, his usual light beer, before he continued.

"What I'm saying is that it is human instinct to listen to what they perceive as good. They could be told that it's actually wrong and something else is right but as long as you believed it good, you wouldn't listen. You'd go with what you want to see right."

"So? Are you saying that's a bad thing?" The Daughter of Two stuttered.

"Of course not." Ganabranth denied. "But I _am_ saying that sometimes, what you see as right or good, is actually bad. And vise versa; sometimes what you see as bad is actually good."

Makayla frowned.

"Are you trying to tell me that you are actually good?"

"I didn't say that." He argued, though his expression said that was exactly what he meant. The demigod shook her head.

"No. Sorry-not-sorry, but there is nothing you will ever be able to say that will convince me that you are anything but a devil." She told him.

"All I'm saying is to take a look at your life and see your angels and devils. Which ones really are angels? And which ones are actually devils?"

With that, Ganabranth stood, leaving Makayla alone with her thoughts.

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-third chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	44. Chapter 44

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Unfortunately, this is going to be a pretty short update just because it'd be _way_ too much if I continued it further. So this one is gonna be short so the next one can be a long one. :)**

* * *

 _Ganabranth and Makayla disappeared in a flash of red._

Leo, Jakob, and Percy stared in shock where their sister, lover, and friend had stood moments before.

"Where-! Where'd they go?!" Leo exclaimed, brown eyes wide.

"I don't know," Percy shook his head in response.

Leo stepped forward, sweeping his hands through the air where his sister had stood moments before. He fell to his knees as he felt nothing, his shaking hands turning to fists in frustration as he muttered Spanish curses.

"Leo, I'm sorry but we gotta go," Percy said after a moment. "He gave us a chance to get out of here and we gotta take it while we can."

"Where the hell will we go, Percy?!" Leo's muffled voice demanded sarcastically. He looked up, eyes red but no trace of tears. "There is nowhere on this earth we can go that he can't!"

"That may be true, but we have to plan what to do next and we won't figure that out here." His friend pressed. Leo sighed, nodding as he stood.

"You're right. You're right, we have to get her back."

"And to do that we're gonna need help," Jakob announced. Both Leo and Percy gave him a look.

"What do you mean?" Percy frowned.

"Camp is _way_ too far away," Leo added.

"Not help from camp, that'd take too long." Jake agreed with a wince, holding his arm where a large and ugly bruise had formed. "There's someone closer that can help us. Someone who knows these people, this place, _and_ Makayla even better than we do."

"Who?" Percy wondered confusedly. Jakob couldn't stop the small smile from tugging on his lips.

"Someone who can give us a hand. But just one." He said with a grin. He gestured for his friends to follow and rushed out the door. Going off half-faded memory, Jakob raced through the halls of The Serpent's base.

"Do you even know where you're going?" Leo asked as the blond looked through several rooms.

"Yes and no." He confessed. A guard rounded a corner but had no time to even draw their weapon before Jakob's fist knocked him to the ground with a broken nose. "I'm really just going off memory. Gana-b**ch dragged me here after he saw me in New York. A couple of his guards had a big argument about where to put me so I was dragged all over this place." Jakob explained as he tried another door, frowning as it was locked. "Then I caught sight of someone else who was being dragged away too. They were crying Makayla's name so I managed to knock out our guards, which is how I got my black eye."

"Who were they?" Percy asked after he pressure-pointed a guard they snuck up behind. She collapsed to the ground without a sound.

"They didn't say their name but they told me that they knew Kayla while she was captive here," Jakob explained. "We were overwhelmed pretty fast but I managed to see where the guards locked them up before I was dragged off."

He suddenly seemed to find the hall was looking for and hurried down it. He was extremely suspicious of the little number of guards but tried the door's handle, unsurprised to find it locked. Pulling a few tools from his belt, Leo managed to pick the lock and the heavy metal door swung open.

"Now what?! Wait a sec. Who-Who are you?" A weak and tired voice asked from the dark as the three boys entered the barred room.

"It's me, Jakob. I met you a few days ago when I asked you about Makayla, remember? These are some friends of mine." Jakob answered, keeping his voice soft. He winced as the dark caused him to bump into the bars, jostling his heavily-bruised and bandaged arm.

"Jakob?" The voice repeated. "Wha- how did you get in here?"

There was the sound of the person stood from their position on the floor and so, not wanting to stay in the dark, Leo raised a hand and lit a small flame on the tip of his finger as they neared.

"Hey, I know you." He narrowed his brown eyes as the stranger came into the light. "You're the girl who helped Kayla escape with us."

"You gave yourself up to Ganabranth just to protect her," Percy remembered.

Wait, you guys know her?" Jakob asked his friends, surprised.

"Kinda. We snuck our way in here and ran into a… I dunno what was going on really, but we met her while looking for Kayla." Leo told him.

"Hold up, what are you doing here?" The three boys turned their attention back to the captive. "And why isn't Makayla with you? Where is she? What's going on-?!"

 _"Shh!_ " Jake immediately hushed. "Calm down, there are still guards on patrol."

"Look, Makayla's not with us right now so we need your help." Percy explained.

"Where is she?" The captive asked worriedly.

"We don't know. We can get you out of here but you'll have to promise to help us get her back. Can you find her?"

"Of course I will. And yes, I can."

Nodding, Leo crouched down to study the lock. Biting his lip in frustration as he fiddled, it took several minutes but he managed to outsmart the piece of metal and the lock opened with a satisfying _*click*_.

"I forgot to ask last time, what's your name?" Jakob wondered. The stranger extended a single hand.

"Thank you. My name is Lauren."

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-fourth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	45. Chapter 45

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **It**

 **Is**

 **Time**

 **The fate of many people rests on Makayla's shoulders and it is now time for her to choose what said fate will be.**

 **In this chapter, Ganabranth finally gets his answer and I'm honestly really excited. I like the way this one is played out despite taking _soooooo_ long to finally create. I admit that battle scenes are not my forte and I'm pretty bad at them so I try not to go into a lot of detail and butcher it.**

 **But I really do like this one and I hope you guys do too so let me know in the comments if you do or not. I'd _really_ appreciate** **your input** **cuz there are only a few more chapters left and I want them all to be really good do we end on a good note!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

Two hours later, Makayla was forced to make her decision.

The sat on a couch opposite to Ganabranth and he waited. He had decided that her time was up and told her she needed to make her choice: stay with him as a surrogate daughter or return to The Serpents as his prisoner.

Makayla sat silently, light silver eyes on her hands as she struggled. Should she stay and save herself but possibly sentence her friends to war? Or go back and possibly save her friends but possibly sentence herself to a pain-filled death? She couldn't choose; she couldn't hurt her friends but she knew if she had to go through one more second of torture...

"So, Beautiful. Have you decided yet?" His sickly-sweet voice slowly brought her back to the present.

"I- I can't. I can't choose." She stuttered, her heart aching as it pounded in her chest.

"You're gonna have to." Ganabranth wouldn't relent. He crossed his arms as he leaned back, face and voice serious. "Think of it this way: if you choose to return to your cell, we'll be back at Square One all over again and everything that's happened so far would have been pointless." Makayla felt a hundred pounds fall onto her shoulders as tears began to form faster. "But if you choose to stay here with me, you'll finally get to live the life of a regular person."

She felt herself hesitate for a moment. Noticing the reaction, Ganabranth pressed further.

"You'll get to live in a comfortable home, settle down and make friends." He continued. "And because of the barriers here, you won't have to worry about monsters attacking. You'll be cared for and loved as my true daughter would. I could help you learn about and even master your powers."

"But...I'd be betraying my friends…" Makayla's voice was weak and quiet.

"Unfortunately, yes." He agreed reasonably. Ganabranth could see she was beginning to lean and decided to add the tipping weight. "But if you stay here with me… you will never have to worry about being hurt again."

Her heart stopped.

"R- Really?" She could barely hear herself as she battled her own thoughts. "Are y- Are… You're serious?"

"One hundred percent serious. Makayla… I would never hurt my daughter and I would never let anyone else hurt you either." Ganabranth agreed softly. He knew he just sealed his deal.

"I- I- I…" Makayla's heart was thumping fast as she stared with wide. Slowly, she felt herself begin to nod. "If you don't hurt me anymore the- then... Okay…"

Ganabranth couldn't hold back from smiling in triumph.

He won.

* * *

Jason looked up from his place in the training arena when a horn's blast rang through Camp half-Blood.

"-entrance of camp!" Someone half-shouted as campers ran around, grabbing weapons or other means of attack and defense. The son of Jupiter shared a glance with Malcolm Pace, who he had been sparring with, before taking off.

The son of the sky saw Piper and Annabeth off to the side and ran over to them.

"What's going on?" He asked as a greeting.

"We're not sure," Piper admitted as they moved towards the growing group of people, who parted to let the members of The Seven pass. "We were training when a guard saw something that made them blow the signal."

The two met up with Nico and Annabeth, who stood at the front of the crowd of warriors. Jason repeated his question and Annabeth gave the same response, not knowing the details of what was happening.

"Is it another attack or…" Piper trailed off when she saw the horde progress over the hill, eyes widening. "Oh no... that's a _lot_ of people…"

 _Hundreds_ of warriors advanced towards Camp Half-Blood, every one of them armed for battle. Jason felt the blood drain from his face and his knees felt weak beneath him.

"What…?" Piper seemed unable to finish her question. Annabeth shook her head.

"I don't know but if it comes to a fight, we are severely outnumbered." She replied, grey eyes not having moved from the giant group; the enemy easily outnumbered them fifteen-to-one. She turned to the camper to her left. "We'll _definitely_ need their help. Think you're up to it?"

They thought for a moment.

"I can do it. It'll take longer because of the distance but we'll make it."

"That's alright. Go. And _please_ be careful?"

No one knew what Annabeth meant but the son of Hades nodded before dissolving into his own shadow.

The demigods turned back to the growing army of attackers, frowning when they stopped their advance, having reached the barrier.

"Maybe they can't get in?" Piper suggested weakly. One person, seemingly the leader, stepped forward past the barrier, then another, then another. She groaned miserably. " _Of_ _course_ they can get in!"

Then she and every other demigod at Camp Half-Blood frowned when the advancing army stopped. They waited for someone to make a move but no one did; they seemed to be at a pause. Time passed as the world held it's breath, neither side moving or even speaking. It was a very long five minutes later before something finally happened.

The shadows suddenly began forming together and Nico appeared with four others. He immediately collapsed to the ground, breathing hard.

"You alright?!" Annabeth worried, kneeling beside her friend.

The son of Hades said was clearly exhausted, but nodded and gestured behind him. Three _very_ confused boys and one other stood from where they had stumbled to their knees. They tried to take in their surroundings but froze at the sight of the gigantic horde.

"Annabeth? What's going on?" Percy asked.

"How did we get here?" Leo added.

"And where did _that_ come from?" Jakob finished.

"In order: no idea, Nico, and we don't know," Annabeth admitted as she hugged her boyfriend, quickly explaining their current situation. "So now we're just waiting. But what have you guys been doing, how'd it go with Chiron's contact?"

"We..." Percy looked like he didn't want to tell her but took a deep breath. "We _really_ f**ked up."

"I went bad, very _very_ bad. There wasn't anything wrong with contact himself, just a broken computer, but we ran into a _lot_ of trouble afterword and we- I don't..." Leo trailed dejectedly off with a sigh.

Talking as fast as they could, Percy and Leo quickly explained that they had run into Makayla as she was attempting to break into The Serpent's Base then about Ganabranth's deal between her and her the other girl. They paused then told about their fight that resulted in the death of Makayla's friend, their ambush, and finally the deal made that led to Makayla's surrender and Jakob's freedom.

"I wasn't there for all that," Jakob admitted with a wince after the two had finished. He was leaning against a nearby pole as one of his step-siblings, another child of Apollo, checked him over. He was covered in multiple bruises and cuts. Several fingers on his left hand looked broken and he had a black eye. "I was in a cell most the time but I _can_ tell you that it was him who sent that army right there."

"How do you know it was him?" Piper wondered, eyes locked on the army.

Then suddenly the leader of the army stepped forward with two others. They held up a flag of truce to show they just wanted to talk so, sharing a glace, Percy and his friends moved to meet them in the middle.

"Surrender." The stranger demanded as a greeting. He wore a full set of medieval-style knight's armor. The armor was surprisingly quiet as he moved and was made of dark red metal with an iron mask that hid just the top half of their face, a large broadsword slung over his back and a double dagger sheath his waist. Two angled slits served as eyes in his helmet, creating the likeness of a creature that was all too familiar.

"What do you want?" Percy asked in response, eyes hard.

"Your surrender." The masked man repeated. His voice was strong and Leo frowned as it sounded vaguely familiar. He cursed under his breath as he was unable to grab hold of the memory.

"Who are you?" Annabeth demanded.

"No one you would know, daughter of Athena. Surrender now or be prepared for a humiliating defeat."

"Sorry dude but we're dyslexic and didn't pay attention in school so we don't know that word," Leo told him with a shrug before Annabeth could answer. The masked man gave him a long look before turning to Percy and Jason.

"You're warriors. You know how battles like this will end; are you really willing to risk such bloodshed? You know that you're outnumbered and outmatched."

"Too bad. You can tell your leader to give his all because this is _our_ home and _no one_ takes our home from us!" The son of Poseidon declared. At his words, cheering rose from the campers behind him in agreement.

"You can try your hardest but every one of us will protect Camp Half-Blood until the very end." Jason agreed, earning another round of cheers.

"Very well. You made your choice and so your defeat will be on your own shoulders." The armored man announced after the campers calmed. He turned his gaze to the fire-user. "It's Leo, right?"

"The one and only." Leo frowned; the way he said his name sounded familiar and caused a suspicion to form. A grin tugged at the man's lips.

"My leader told me to send you his regards. He wishes that this battle will be- how did he put it...?" He paused as if thinking before finally letting his smirk show. " _More of a challenge._ After all… he was beginning to get bored."

Leo scowled as his suspicions were confirmed, Percy doing the same. The man turned to leave before pausing.

"Oh, one last thing: he wanted me to thank you."

"What for?"

"Thank him for _what?_ " Piper repeated Leo's question when the man didn't answer. Ganabranth's Second In Command smirked once more, crueler than the first.

"For having a sister so _Beautiful_ though. It's a shame that she won't be around for the battle though."

"Where is she, Johnathan?!" Leo demanded as his rage boiled in his stomach.

"If only he told me but even _I_ don't know what he did to her. Bummer too; I'd love to be the cause her screaming once again." Johnathan mocked. The fire-user had to be held back by Piper and Jason, though the two had to avoid the flames flickering on their friend.

"If he even _thinks_ of hurting her I _swear_ that I-"

"Leo, stop!" Piper interrupted. "He's just trying to get under your skin."

"Am I that obvious?" The Serpent chuckled.

"How about a game?" The five looked up as Percy spoke.

"What was that?"

"Ganabranth likes games so much so I got one for him." He repeated

"And what is this game of yours?" Johnathan wondered. Annabeth answered instead, a plan beginning to form.

"The rules are easy: we fight at noon and if you win, Camp Half-Blood is yours." The daughter of Athena immediately received complaints from her fellow campers that could hear but she held up a hand to calm them and continued. "But if _you_ lose and _we_ win, you and your leader let Makayla free and leave Camp Half-Blood and all of its campers alone. _Forever._ Do we have a deal? _"_

There was total silence from both sides as hundreds of people waited for a response. Then a moment later, the Serpent nodded.

"Deal. We'll play your game." He agreed.

"First you have to swear that you and your team will follow the rules," Leo quickly added; he already knew not to trust a member of The Serpents.

Johnathan nodded and swore before heading back to his battalion. Percy, Annabeth, and the others did the same.

"Not to question your ideas Annabeth but _what_ is going on in your mind?!" Jake Mason exclaimed when the five neared, now healed and out of his casts. "We are _extremely_ outnumbered in case you didn't notice!"

"I know but trust me. I'm figuring this out," Annabeth assured, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. The demigods were crowding as they readied to hear the plan they knew she was forming. The daughter of Athena paused. "Where's Jakob?"

There was talking and second later, the son of Apollo stepped forward. He was still badly bruised, had several cuts (that were red but no longer bleeding) and retained his black eye but nodded anyway.

"I'm here." His blue eyes were level.

"Good." Annabeth took a deep breath before turning to him, Percy, and Leo with a look of serious concentration. "Okay. You three know more about these Serpent guys better than any of us. What do you know that could give us _any_ sort of advantage?"

The three boys exchanged glances.

"Um… Not trying to shoot you down, but all we know is what Ganabranth let us figure out." Leo admitted with a sheepish shrug. "He knew where we were and what our plans were so we always ended up doing what he wanted us to."

"We were playing into his hands the whole time." Percy agreed, embarrassed shame in his voice.

"Well, _I_ say we play this game and beat the _s**t_ out of him!" An Ares camper shouted, earning a loud round of cheers.

"We can't just charge in there without some kind of plan." Laurel Victor argued, head counselor of the Nike cabin.

"We would definitely lose." Her twin sister, Holly Victor, agreed.

"Was there anything he wanted you to do that stood out or confused you?" Jason asked his friends, ignoring the other campers for the moment.

"Not really." Percy winced. "This guy is- he's really _really_ smart."

"And _totally_ psychotic." Jakob agreed, wincing as his wounds throbbed.

"Not to mention that he knows what he wants, how to get it, and will do anything to get it no matter what or where-" Leo suddenly cut himself off. He was silent for a moment as he gaped with wide eyes. "That's _it!_ Why didn't I think about that before?! _Estaba tratando de adivinar algo complicado cuando es realmente tan fácil-"_

 _( I was trying to guess something complicated when it's really so easy-)_

"Speak English!" Sherman Yang muttered.

"Guys, I figured it out!" The son of Hephaestus exclaimed excitedly.

"Figured out what?" Jason and Annabeth asked in unison.

"Okay everyone, listen up!" Leo shouted, getting the attention of all the campers. He rubbed his hands together as his signature mischievous grin came to his face. "Here's what's gonna happen..."

* * *

When the clock struck noon, The Serpents attacked.

Hundreds of Serpents swarmed forward and Camp Half-Blood shouted battle cries as they met the enemy head-on. Arrows were fired from both sides while catapults and other means of war fired projectiles, the sound of shouting and weapons clashing echoing through the air. The warriors of CHB had managed to gather and put together everything they needed despite the little time they had and barely managed to set up their entire defense and offense before the Serpents readied their attack.

Leo felt his heart thumping as he, Percy, Annabeth, and several other campers crouched hidden from enemy sight. He silently prayed his plan would work and that he wasn't crazy for thinking of it.

"I really hope this works, Leo," Annabeth muttered to her friend. The fire-user could only nod in agreement, mouth dry.

The demigods had managed to sneak their way into their enemy's base of operation thanks to the help of Festus. Leo had grabbed the automation and flown into the fight once the battle began. Jason had flown the sneak-attack group one-by-one behind their enemy's line (Nico was too tired to attempt a shadow Travel again) as their attention was drawn by the bronze dragon. Once the small team was over and out of sight, Jason had swapped with Leo mid-air so the son of Hephaestus joined the ground troops while he and Piper flew on Festus and continued to attack from above.

Leo's eyes narrowed when he noticed a dozen soldiers guarding a certain area of the Serpent's camp, that one small path having more soldiers than anywhere else. He took a silent note then snuck back to where the small group waited. He relayed the information and four members snuck off.

"Now?" Percy whispered a few minutes later. The son of Poseidon looked ready to jump but Leo shook his head.

"Not yet." He told him, hands silently fiddling with wires and machine parts from his tool belt as he watched the guards. " _Just a_ _second_ _longer_ …"

A minute later, a loud explosion sounded and a plume of smoke appeared off to the left as the ever-troublesome twin sons of Hermes set off their bombs. Just like Annabeth predicted, six of the twelve guards rushed over to see what had happened but their future warnings were silenced via ambush by Clarisse and Chris.

"Ready Annabeth?" Leo then asked, their plan moving into motion. The blonde nodded and slipped on her Yankees cap, a second later disappearing from sight.

He, Percy, and several others watched as one guard fell suddenly to the ground with a harsh but non-fatal wound. One of the other guards moved to their side as the other three readied their weapons and looked for the source of their parter's attack. A second guard then collapsed without a sound as Annabeth, still invisible, slammed her dagger into their temple. Leo felt his chest tighten but forced himself to stay calm as anxiety took over; they might _actually_ pull this off!

Of course, that's when everything went wrong.

Moving too fast to react, the third guard turned around as their comrade fell and swung. He managed to hit Annabeth with the body of his spear and the force knocked her back, causing her cap to fall off and render her visible once again. The guard saw her and immediately sounded the alarm. A dozen more guards came running as the previously hidden half-bloods rushed from their hiding place to help their friend. Percy jumped to Annabeth's side and sliced down a guard to give her time to get to her feet only to be attacked by the guard that had spotted her.

"Leo! Percy! Go now! We got this!" She shouted as Clarisse and Chris joined the fight. Nodding, they cut a hole in the Serpents' defenses and bolted through.

The two ran through the area to where Leo knew he would be, both hearts pounding as their determination rose with each step, burning or cutting down enemies whenever they appeared. They knew time was limited. Sprinting fast, Percy and Leo arrived at the rondevu point quickly and found Nico waiting in the shadows nears the ruins.

"What took so long?" The son of Hades demanded as a greeting, voice barely loud enough to hear.

"Annabeth's cap got knocked off so we had to improvise," Percy explained in an equally low tone.

Nico nodded and signaled his unseen helper to stay put, who nodded silently in response. Then the three boys then snuck their way to the large ruined building, crawling on their knees to avoid the light from the broken windows as they silently moved to the front. They reached an old door and Percy signaled to stop. Listening hard, the boys could faintly hear someone talking quietly and their hearts hardened.

 _'On my mark.'_ The son of Poseidon then mouthed. He held up three fingers.

 _Three_

He and Nico readied their swords.

 _Two_

A sphere of fire sparked to life on Leo's palm and they took a deep breath.

 _One_

Leo stood and raised his arm, hurling a white-hot ball of flames at the building with all of his strength. There was an explosion as the wooden door blew inward. He, Percy, and Nico rushed in with weapons ready but were stopped by a familiar voice.

"Well well well. It's about time you three showed up. I was beginning got get bored."

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-fifth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome.**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	46. Chapter 46

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **We get to see more of the human side of Ganabranth in this chapter instead of the sadistic-torture-leader side. I really like this one cuz even though there isn't a fight scene or arguments, there's a lot going on. I did make it purposefully a bit wordy but that's because I needed it to fit my 3,000-Word Requirement I have.**

 **Also, there are a lot of names and titles and descriptions used in this chapter to describe things so you guys can easily search the stuff up.**

 **Anywho!**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _Just to clarify, this is what happens right **after** Makayla agrees to Ganabranth's offer but **before** the attack on Camp Half-Blood._

* * *

Ganabranth couldn't hold back from smiling as Makayla gave him her answer, agreeing to live with him as his surrogate daughter and unknowingly giving him everything he had fought to attain for the past several years.

"You sure that's your answer? No taking it back." He warned carefully. The redhead paused for a very long minute before she slowly and shakily nodded.

"Y- Y- Yes… If you- as- as long as you swear that you won't hurt me." She repeated. Her eyes hadn't left her hands as they swirled, colors mixing from scattered emotion.

"I swear that I will _never_ again do anything to hurt you, Makayla." Ganabranth agreed, surprising himself for a moment as he felt himself speaking honestly. "And if I do, which I won't, then you have the right to leave and go back to the camp."

Makayla nodded but started as her hands suddenly flashed, her palms glowing silver momentarily as their deal was sealed. The light faded and she was left staring at her palms.

The snakes returned the look.

* * *

Makayla was woken the next morning by knocking on her door. She sat up groggily and rubbed her bleary eyes, still half asleep.

"Time to get up! Breakfast's downstairs waiting for you cuz we got stuff to do today."

His voice was muffled from the wood but she could understand him easily enough. She had a moment where her heart stopped from Ganabranth's voice, momentarily forgetting the day before. Then her heart began to beat once again and she sighed. She had a mental debate whether or not to go back to sleep before grumbling and crawling out from under the thick comforter, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

Dressing in the same clothes as the day before, Makayla realized she had worn those clothes for five days and wondered if Ganabranth was being serious about taking her shopping or not. After dressing, she made sure her sword _Ligero_ was placed by the door for easy reach then went downstairs to see that breakfast was indeed ready, Ganabranth having again cooked. Not seeing him anywhere, Makayla sat at the nook-style oak table and began to eat. She took small slow bites, still wary about the food she ate, but finished none-the-less.

She placed her plate and utensils in the sink then sat back down. She wondered where the older man was but mentally prayed that he would take a long time doing whatever it was that he was doing. Looking around, Makayla frowned when she realized that the house she now lived in was really nice so she stood and decided to wander while she waited.

Decorated with what seemed like expensive items, the Mediterranean-style home was styled in black and gold colors with white-marble accents. The great room was decorated with four Schuster Sculptural Sofas positioned around a rectangular glass-top coffee table. Below her bare feet was a large and beautiful Metallic Gold area rug. To her side was a large Obsidian ethanol-burning fireplace and above her, a large Salviati Chandelier hung from the high ceiling.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Makayla yelped, startled by the sudden voice. She spun around and saw who it was: Ganabranth leaned casually against one of the walls with his hands in his pockets, admiring the house as well. He wore a plain t-shirt under a zip-up hoodie and jeans.

"Uh, y- yeah." Makayla agreed. The older man gazed around the large house with a relaxed smile.

"My house was custom designed and custom-built you know." He told her, walking over. "My wife and I created the design for everything. When we married, my vow promised her everything in the world, anything she could ever want. Being the gentle soul she was, all she said was "My only dream is to have a place where I can grow old with you." So I built her a home. She never asked for expensive things, she was too humble for that. I did anyway. I gave her a castle where she could live like the queen she was."

Ganabranth slowly gained a wistful look as he spoke.

"She was… my wife was the joy of my life, my light in the dark, my _everything_." He slowly moved over to a small nook that Makayla had previously not noticed. It was held several candles and three framed pictures: a memorial of some sort. He continued, voice quiet and eyes sad. "Life was perfect, it couldn't get better. Then it came... that fateful day... and I lost my light."

"What happened?" Makayla asked quietly. He turned to her and she could see his broken heart through his eyes.

"She got sick. Her body had always been weak to illnesses so it took from me her too soon." He told her sadly. He turned back to the memorial, gently running his hand down a picture of a beautiful red-haired woman. "My beautiful Irene…"

Makayla felt her heart cry; Ganabranth had lost what meant the most to him; his wife _and_ his daughter…

She but her lip. She had never seen this part of Ganabranth. He seemed… human, vulnerable, weak. She hesitated for a _very_ long minute before slowly moving towards him. She stood beside the older man and looked at the memorial's pictures.

In one was a professionally taken picture of a woman in her mid-twenties. She was gorgeous, her red hair styled simply-short, her smile gentle and eyes caring. The second was another portrait, this time of Ganabranth's deceased daughter. As Annabeth had said, the girl looked exactly like Makayla. The only difference was their eye color.

The third photo in the memorial was a picture of the small family of three. They were caught mid-laugh at the beach, the beautiful colors of twilight reflecting off the ocean behind them. Makayla looked up and was stunned to see that Ganabranth was holding back tears.

Looking down and taking a breath, she slowly raised her hand then she paused, then, moved, then paused, then moved. Inch by inch, her hand slowly reached out until it came in contact with Ganabrath's sleeve. Surprised, he looked down at her hands then back up to her. Makayla never even got _close_ to him.

"I'm sorry. Ab- About your wife and daughter, I mean." She told him, voice quiet. She still couldn't meet his gaze. "That must have been hard…"

Ganabranth smiled softly and placed one hand over hers, moving carefully as not to scare or startle the redhead.

"It was. But now I'm hoping for a new beginning." He told her honestly

It took a moment but Makayla realized he meant her and blinked. He… was he for real?

"Ser- S- Seriously?" She stuttered.

"If you're willing, I'd like to try," Ganabranth admitted, moving to one knee to be at her eye-level. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and visibly winced when he felt her scars beneath his hands. "Makayla… I am truly and honestly sorry for what I did to you. I- You won't ever forgive me, I know that, but I do hope someday you'll at trust me enough to least not be scared."

Makayla felt her chest pounding hard as every emotion ever felt ran wild inside her. She couldn't talk or move, too stunned to respond.

There was a small beeping sound and Ganabranth straightened, looking at a Ulysse Nardin Hannibal watch on his wrist.

"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this here," He told her. "We got only a few more hours and still got things to do and places to go."

Makayla shook herself from her daze as he started towards his garage.

"A few hours until what?" She asked. He winked in response, grabbing a set of keys from its place on the wall.

" _That..._ is a good question and will be answered later tonight." He told her, climbing into his silver Jaguar XJ220. Still confused, Makayla followed.

As suggested the day before, the next while was spent driving to various stores as the two shopped for outfits for Makayla. She felt bad spending so much money but Ganabranth repeatedly assured her he was close to a millionaire (she wasn't how) and they were weren't even making a dent in his account.

An hour and a half later, Makayla was confused to pull up to a salon.

"Um… what are we doing now?" She asked. Ganabranth again winked.

"We gotta look fabulous for tonight, don't we?" He chuckled, turning off the car before opening the door for her and helping her out.

Stepping inside, Makayla stood awkwardly as her new father-figure gave the person at the counter some money, saying to do whatever she wanted. The person nodded and Ganabeanth walked back over to Makayla, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I have an errand to run real quick so I'll be back in a bit. In the meantime, spoil yourself." He gave her a smile before kissing the top of her head and leaving. She stared with wide eyes as he drove away.

"Ma'am? How would you like to start?" The lady at the counter asked, getting her attention.

"Uh… I'm not sure?" Makayla replied a bit awkwardly.

"Perhaps a cut and style and then nails? If you would like, we have a steam room that you may use? Or perhaps a massage after a facial with a bath?" She suggested, leading the redhead away. Makayla left herself to smile.

This is going to be fun.

* * *

Two hours later, Makayla was back at Ganabranth's house, hair cut and styled, nails done, body smooth and clean.

She sat staring at the piece of clothing on her bed: it was beautiful, nicer than anything she'd ever owned before, but she hesitated. It just didn't feel right. She felt if she put the dress on then she would be officially be betraying everyone she knew. There was a knock at her door as a reminder for time and she sighed before standing. She grabbed the outfit and moved to the bathroom. She pulled off her robe before putting on the dress, struggling for just a moment as she tied the back. The redhead slipped on her tights and shoes before moving back to the room to stand in front of the full-body mirror.

Makayla took a deep breath before finally looking into her reflection.

Her hair had been curled and placed into a messy-bun updo, two thick strands let down on either side. The smallest amount of makeup had been added to darken her eyes and red her lips, making them look slightly larger and more inviting. Her nails were now shaped and painted burgundy with small silver swirls serving as accents. Nude-colored stockings covered her legs and a pair of glittering silver heels with sequined straps rested on the floor beside her feet. Her dress…

Reaching her knees and strapless, the dress was made of wine-red chiffon and ruffled tulle with silver gems adding a design the corset-style bodice and sweetheart neckline. Small rhinestones gave just the right amount of secluded sparkle along the body of the dress, flowing gently as she moved.

Looking at her reflection, Makayla knew she looked stunningly gorgeous. She gave a small smile as the tried to think the reaction Jakob would have if he saw her.

 _'He'd probably be speechless, to be honest.'_ She thought. She cursed herself as she felt a twinge of sadness before pushing the thought from her mind.

Taking another deep breath, she took one last look in the mirror before grabbing her heels and leaving to meet her new father-figure downstairs. She could hear an old dance song playing from the radio as she descended the bifurcated stairs to the foyer. Falling unceremonially onto the bottom step, Makayla sat and slipped on her silver heels. As she was clasping the strap around her ankle, she heard footsteps and looked up.

Ganabranth now wore an Ermenegildo Zegna suit with an untied silver bowtie draped around his neck and black dress shoes. His dark hair had been combed neatly to the side and was freshly shaved. He had been adding a pair of engraved cufflinks when he paused, seeing Makayla. The redhead slowly stood.

"You look gorgeous, Makayla." Ganabranth told her with a smile. His eyes held... was that pride? Affection? Makayla wasn't sure but it confused her.

"Thank you." She thanked quietly, silver eyes down. As the two walked toward the garage she noticed he was struggling with his tie and wondered if he had ever worn a bowtie before, seeing him once in regular ones before. She sighed and stepped over to help, heels clicking on the marble floor. "Here, I'll show you."

Making exaggerated gestures the young redhead showed the older man how to pull one end under the other, folding one side and pulling the other from behind it, ending with a perfectly tied bow.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" He asked as she straightened the cloth, impressed. Makayla shrugged.

"I was taught when I was young." She answered vague, remembering the many dances that Ashlyn and Adam had dragged her to.

Having not worn heels in years, Makayla carefully followed as the older man led her down the steps and back into the garage. He seemed to have a mental debate then smiled, saying tonight was special. Already not sure what he meant, he only served to confuse her more as he led her to a previously unnoticed section of the underground garage told her not to look, handing her a length of cloth. He could see her hands shaking as he tied the blindfold over her eyes, keeping it loose to not ruin her makeup, and assured her that nothing was going to happen. She could hear keys jingling and a second garage door opening. He took her hand, making sure not to startle her, and led her forward.

"Alright. What I'm about to show you is my all-time favorite item ever despite never having a reason to pull it out." Ganabranth couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. "You ready?"

Makayla nodded and a moment later her blindfold was removed. Her eyes widened, jaw dropped, and breath was stolen when looked up to see a freshly polished gold-colored Bugatti Veyron.

"This here is my baby," Ganabranth announced, running his hand along the side of the exterior. "I actually won this beauty when the previous owner got cocky enough to bet against me. Needless to say, he lost and I got his car."

It's incredible..." She gasped. She almost didn't want to touch it, it was so nice.

"Yes, it is... You wanna drive it?" Makayla actually stumbled back a step at his words, almost tripping.

"Wha- I can'-t...Y- You're joking, right?" She checked, not believing that he would let her drive his multimillion-dollar car. But Ganabranth only shook his head.

"Nope, not joking. I'm serious." He chuckled. He tossed her the keys and she instinctively caught them. She couldn't say anything for several seconds as she stared at the keys in her hands.

"I- I- no way! I can't- you..." Makayla didn't seem able to finish. A minute passed before she sighed and shook her head, tossing the keys back to the dark-haired man. "No thanks. I'd be way too nervous and probably wreck it. Plus, I don't have my license remember?" She reminded, brushing back a strand of her curled hair.

"I forgot that," Ganabranth admitted, walking around to open her door. "Again, I guess that's something we'll have to fix."

Makayla smoothed down her dress's ruffles as she leaned into the passenger seat. A moment later, the large garage door opened and Ganabranth started the engine. Moving as smooth as silk, the Bugatti started forward and before she knew it, they were out on the road.

"Will you tell me where we're going now?" She asked with a sigh, repeating the question again. Ganabranth chuckled, turning on some music.

"Any specific genre or artist you like?" He asked in response, ignoring her question. The redhead rolled her eyes, making the two colors swirl, but nodded.

"Anything faster with strong bass." She confessed. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, giving her a look from the corner of his eye.

"Really? I never pegged you as that kinda girl, to be honest." He told her. She felt her cheeks turning pink and turned to look out her window. He shrugged. "Everyone has their own opinions I guess."

He pressed something on his smartphone and a moment later an upbeat pop song played. Makayla felt herself begin to get lost in the music and hummed along. They drove for ten minutes before the sky began to get significantly darker. After fifteen minutes, the city came into view and she gasped. If she thought Orlando was incredible during the day, it was nothing compared to the night. She stared in amazed awe at the colorful lights as they drove through the city. She didn't know where they were going but she did know that the city took her breath. Granted, it was a bit too crowded for her to live in full comfort but she knew she could survive.

"Aaaand here we are!" Ganabranth announced.

Makayla realized that she had zoned out the entire drive, mesmerized by the cities lights. Looking forward she saw they had arrived at a very very nice restaurant. There were men in valet uniforms standing by the entrance, one stepping forward after a moment's hesitation to open Makayla's door as Ganabranth pulled to a stop. He seemed in shock by the car.

"Don't even breathe on it." The Serpents' Leader warned as he handed the man his keys. The valet nodded seriously and accepted the keys. The dark-haired man turned to Makayla, giving a small bow as he offered his arm. "May we?"

Makayla couldn't stop her hands from shaking and she nodded shook her head, barely enough to see. He gave an understanding nod and instead gestured for her to follow as he led her inside. Heels clicking softly as she walked, Makayla had to force herself to keep stepping forward instead of staring in shock at the beauty of the building. She noticed the silver gems on her dress sparkled in the soft light as they followed the host. She showed them to a table for two off to the side before a waiter came and asked if they had any drink requests.

"Tonight is a special night so I'll take your best bottle of _La Bruja de Rozas."_ Ganabranth told the man as he pulled the chair back for Makayla, sitting himself a moment later.

"Excellent choice, sir. A personal favorite." The waiter agreed. He turned to Makayla. "And for the lady?"

The redhead shrugged awkwardly, never having been to a place so nice before.

"Let's try a single glass of _Prosecco_ to start with. If that won't go then we'll go for something else." Ganabranth suggested, giving Makayla a questioning look. She nodded in agreement and the waiter handed them menus before leaving.

She tried to avoid the numbers as she looked over the menu of Italian foods, hoping to avoid conversation. But unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Tell me, My Dear; how has your day been so far?" Ganabranth asked her casually. Makayla raised an eyebrow.

"That a new nickname?" She wondered. Her former captor shrugged.

"If you want."

"What happened to your other one?"

"You didn't like it. I know that it triggers you so I've avoided using it." He said honestly, thanking the waiter when he returned and handed them each a glass.

Makayla felt stunned. Since they had first met he had called her Beautiful. He had _always_ used her nickname no matter the scenario. But now he was going to completely stop and find something else just because she didn't like it? Because he didn't want to trigger her?

Ganabranth held out his glass.

"A toast to a new beginning?" He suggested. Makayla couldn't stop the small smile that came to her lips. She raised her glass as well.

"To a new beginning."

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-sixth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	47. Chapter 47

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Alright! We're back to the attack on CHB. We get a look at protective-Leo, friend-concerned-Nico, and badass-Percy. Honestly, I adore the friendship between Nico and Makayla. I don't ship them together though because** ** _SOLANGELO FOREVER!_**

 **Also, Perc gets to be badass again and show off his amazing f**king skills! But seriously, this is a _really_ important chapter though. **

**I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _So t_ _he move that Percy performs is from the video game 'Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' and is called the Back Slice. Feel free to search it up because it is awesome!)_

* * *

"It's about time you three showed up. I was beginning to get bored."

Three hearts hardened as the familiar voice echoed through their ears. He was sitting there, feet propped up on a stool with a pack of M&M candies in his hand.

"You knew we'd come," Percy growled. His clenched as he held Riptide tightly in his hand.

"Of course I knew." Ganabranth chuckled, tossing an M&M into the air and frowning when the candy hit his nose and dropped to the ground.

"Should have _f**king_ known." Leo cursed angrily.

"Honestly, yeah you should." The older man genuinely laughed. He gave a small whoop as he caught one of the candies in his mouth. "I mean, we've been playing the same game for weeks now and you _still_ haven't learned the easiest and most obvious rule."

"Which is…?" Nico urged, obviously irritated.

He stood, setting the candy down and stretching his arms behind his head. He grabbed a dagger from his belt and flipping it into the air before catching it easily in his hand. He spread his arms and shrugged with his sadistic smirk on his lips.

"You'll never beat me." He chuckled. Leo glared daggers.

"No more games! What did you do to my sister?!" He demanded, hands smoking as he close to screamed his words. He was furious with the man. Ganabranth smirked.

"You know in any other circumstances, with anyone else, I might have felt a bit threatened by those fire-fists. I know _you_ won't hurt me though so I'm not." He chuckled, leaning against the stones of the crumbling wall.

"What makes you think we won't?" Percy growled, gaze dark and knuckles white.

"Cuz I know that your little team won't stop until you find Miss Makayla and _you_ know that I am the only one who can tell you where she is."

The boys paused and exchanged glances; deep inside they knew he was right.

"Tell you what: release Makayla and call off your army and I'll give you a quick death rather than a painful one," Nico told him, getting tired of talking. Ganabranth pulled out another dagger and started tossing the two as if juggling. He pursed his lips.

"Calling off my army is a no-can-do." He told the boys, eyes on the flipping blades. "You see, I have a bone to pick with you and your camp so destroying it and killing everyone there is _kinda_ a half-to."

"What the _hell_ is wrong with you?!" Leo exclaimed in disgust.

"You will _not_ destroy or even hurt Camp Half-Blood," Percy growled, sea-green eyes a raging storm. Ganabranth chuckled.

"Oh but I will. And you can't stop me."

He suddenly turned and threw both the knives at the three. Nico jumped aside as Percy ducked to avoid the daggers. Immediately he raised his sword in a block as The Serpents' leader attacked, taking on all three half-bloods at once.

Nico swung his sword as Leo threw balls of fire but Ganabranth jumped back, slicing the flame in half and disrupting it into the air. Percy used the momentary distraction to charge forward, swinging his sword as he jumped into the most complicated series of attacks Nico and Leo had seen that caused them to pause as they watched.

For multiple minutes Percy stabbed, blocked, and sliced. He performed spin and jump and attacks as determination and love for his friends fueled him. Leaping forward with a deadly slash, Ganabranth was forced to lose ground. Percy smirked as the dark-haired man stumbled back and performed his deadliest move yet.

He ran forward but at the last second, jumped the side. Not expecting the movement, Ganabranth hesitated for half a second. But the son of Poseidon instead fell into a roll, rolling on his side in a type of half circle. The hero rolled to end up directly behind the older man and jumped up to his feet. As he jumped, he spun in the air and raised his sword in the movement and Riptide sliced deep into The Serpent's backside.

Leo and Nico's jaws dropped and eyes widened as Percy landed almost gracefully on his feet and turned back to his enemy, face level and eyes determined.

Ganabranth gave a yell of pain, a large gash now open across his back. He gritted his teeth and stumbled forward, frowned in burning anger; he had underestimated the son of Poseidon's skill, not realizing he would be so much of a challenge. With a shout, he turned and sliced downward but as Percy raised his weapon to blocked, The Serpents' Leader unleashed a force of energy that threw the three half-bloods back. Percy, Leo, and Nico were sent flying, breaking through the already crumbling wall and tumbling to the hard ground. Stone crumbled and fell everywhere as they lay groaning on the ground. The wind was knocked from them. Nico and Percy's swords had fallen from their grasps and landed a good dozen feet away.

"I underestimated you." Looking up, they could see Ganabranth standing angrily above them. He was breathing hard and his green eyes were hard as steel as his emotions began to take over. "You boys have been a thorn in my _a**_ for _weeks_ now! I was going to just let you watch helplessly as your friends and home are destroyed but not anymore. Now you're _done_."

He moved to raise his weapons one last time but it was then his turn to be thrown back as a full wave of flames washed over him, scorching the ground and stones where he had stood.

Leo stood tense from rage. His eyes blazed as blue-fire surrounded him. The flames in his eyes made Percy and Nico pray thankfully that he was on their side. They had never seen their friend like that: they couldn't help but be a bit scared. The son of Hephaestus even made them have to move back several steps to avoid being burned by his heat, despite his containing his power close to him.

"ENOUGH GAMES! _Where. Is. My. Sister?"_ Leo's voice shook as he stood over Ganabranth and a spark of fear appeared in said man's eyes. He pursed his lips and held up his hands.

"Truce?" He then asked. The three boys looked confused at the sudden offer. He noticed. "I'm down and unarmed. You can kill me in a single move, which means that you won. I may be sadistic but I play fair; I know when I'm beaten. As is the rules of your game, let me stand and I'll call off my army."

Percy, Leo, and Nico exchanged glances before nodding. Leo stepped back as his friends grabbed their weapons. The older man stood and brushed off his pants and shirt, wincing as he moved his back. Nico and Percy held their weapons ready but remained where they stood. Leo also lowered his temperature and dispersed the flames around him, though he kept his hands lit.

"I gotta admit, that was quite the fight with you boys. And that last move you pulled, Ocean Boy? _That_ was impressive." Ganabranth told Percy, keeping his hands out in a casual surrender.

"Call off your attack," Nico demanded.

"As you wish." He agreed with a mocking bow. He pulled out a smartphone from-who-knows-where and pressed something, holding it in his hand on speakerphone. It didn't finish ringing even once before there was an answer.

"Yes, Sir? What do you need, Sir?" The person immediately asked. The half-bloods recognized Johnathan's voice.

"Scenario C: call it. Sound off and move back." His leader told him in some sort of code. There was a moment before his second in command answered.

"Uh… sir? Sir ar- Are you sure?" He sounded confused and in disbelief.

"Are you questioning my order?" Ganabranth asked in answer, voice low.

"N-No! No sir I- okay sir, as you command!"

Ganabranth nodded and ended the call. A moment later the three boys heard a horn's call echoing through the forest, long and loud. After, the sound of battle slowly faded out as The serpents retreated.

"There you go: my army is called back and your camp will now be left alone." The leader told them, hands still out in front of him. There was irritation in his voice that he didn't bother to hide but the three weren't done yet.

"Now tell us where Makayla is." Percy reminded.

"Where Makayla is?" Ganabranth repeated. His smirk returned and he shrugged. "Well turns out that she's been here with us this whole time."

As an automatic reaction, Leo, Nico, and Percy looked around. Seeing nothing, they returned their gaze to Ganabranth.

"Where?" Leo demanded. Ganabranth just smiled.

"Makayla, my Dear? Would you mind coming to help me out?" He called over his shoulder. A short moment later, a familiar redhead appeared by his side. Her sword, _Ligero,_ was strapped to her waist.

"Makayla! Thank gods you're okay! I was _so_ worried about you!" Leo almost cried in relief. He started toward his sister then paused when she took a step back and raised her hands in his direction, palms glowing silver.

"Stop." She commanded and Leo froze. He, Percy, and Nico looked her over and frowned, confused as she seemed perfectly fine: she had no bruises or cuts or any new marks of harm. Her silky red hair was pulled into a braid draped over her shoulder and she even had her nails done, wearing what seemed to be a fresh pair of clothes.

"W- What's going on?" Her brother asked, confused. Makayla shook her head. She wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I don't want to hurt you but… if I have to I- I will." She told him quietly.

"What are you talking about?" Nico frowned worriedly. "Why would you hurt him?"

"Like I said: I don't want to but I will." She repeated, her hands still raised and glowing. Her eyes held sadness and pain.

"But _why_ would you have to hurt your brother?"

"I don't- I..." Makayla's voice shook as she didn't seem able to finish. Ganabranth, who had been silent until that moment, placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Makayla, my dear, I believe you were asked a question. Why would you hurt your brother?" He asked her with a cruel smile on his lips and mock curiosity in his voice.

His eyes showed he felt a dark enjoyment from the hurt and confusion the older teens were feeling. Makayla's swirling eyes locked with Leo's for a long moment before she dropped her gaze.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I- I don- I don't have a brother."

* * *

Three pairs of eyes widened in shock and disbelief and Leo stumbled back like he was struck.

"What are you-? Of _course_ you have a brother, Kayla, _I'm_ your brother..." He forced. Makayla shook her head, the sad pain in her light purple eyes.

"Don't call me that. No, I don't. I don't have a brother or a sister or godly parents or anyone. I only have _one_ family and that's my... m- my new dad." A single tear slid down her cheek, which she quickly brushed away.

Leo stared in shock. What was wrong with his sister? She had never disowned him like that before: they loved each other to no end, they knew that. They were siblings, family, best friends. And she had always called Ashlyn her sister. So why was she saying those things?

"Kayla...?" Leo couldn't say anything more. His heart was breaking.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked in disbelief. "Me and Leo and Nico and the others: we're your family."

"I only have one," Makayla repeated. Her voice was still shaking. She had a pained and heartbroken look on her face.

"I can see you kids are still a little confused," Ganabranth interrupted. "So I'll explain it to you in a way that your young minds can comprehend: you see, Makayla here has accepted an offer of mine and in doing so, has disowned and rejected all of you, accepting only her new family. Isn't that right, Darling?"

Ganabranth's smile quickly switched from cruel to genuine-looking as Makayla looked at him. Her eyes lingered for only a moment, still unable to hold his gaze.

"Yes, it is... dad." She agreed quietly, forcing the words out.

Nico actually dropped his sword and Leo fell to his knees. Pain and confusion were clear as day on his face. Percy's jaw dropped as well and sea-green eyes widened as his brain tried to register his friend's words.

 _What was happening?!_

Makayla was terrified of Ganabranth and hated him with indescribable passion but now she suddenly accepts him as her father-figure? Nico remembered how she had figured out about Ganabranth's daughter and how they looked the same so maybe he had offered to not hurt her in return that she acted like her replacement? The son of Hades shook his head.

"Makayla, I don't know what this... this _demon_ told you," He started, slowly walking towards her. Makayla raised her glowing hand to him and he froze, holding his hands up. "But he's wrong. Ganabranth isn't your dad, he isn't your family- hell, he doesn't even _care_ about you!"

"You're wrong," She denied. Her voice was still quiet.

"I'm not and you know that. Deep inside you know that he doesn't care about you and you know he's just using you. Once he's done then he's gonna throw you out-"

"Stop it! You're _wrong_ about him, you don't know him like I know him! He's been good to me." She denied, one hand clenched into a fist, but Nico could see a drop of uncertainty in her eyes. Ganabranth was watching the exchange with narrowed eyes, carefully taking note of Makayla's reactions.

"No, he hasn't." Percy imputed, now stepping beside Nico as he too saw her doubt. "Makayla, he's the one that hurt you in the first place! You told us yourself! He held you captive for months, he scarred your body and tortured you beyond imagination."

"Stop! Stop right now!" The glow emanating from Makayla's palms brightened. "I know what he did but he's _changed_. He's acted more like family to me than any of you ever did!"

""More than we did?"" Nico repeated in disbelief. "Makayla, we welcomed you as our friend and gave you a home! We kept you safe even though we _knew_ the dangers involved and we trusted you like a sister, _I_ trusted you like a sister."

"So what, I- It's in the past. It doesn't matter anymore."

"Do you even _care_ about Camp?" Leo wondered.

"Of course I do." Makayla's reply was immediate.

"Then why would he attack what you care about?"

Makayla frowned in confusion and boys realized she didn't know about the attack on Camp Half-Blood.

"Wh- What do you mean "attack"? What are you talking about?" She turned to Ganabranth for an explanation but he shook his head. He moved to a knee and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Makayla, you know I wouldn't hurt you like that. I promised, remember?" He reminded. She nodded slightly before taking a breath and turning back to Percy, Leo, and Nico.

"He wouldn't do that to me." She told them, believing his words. The three held back groans of anger and irritation.

"Makayla just _f**king listen_ _to us!_ HE! IS! USING! YOU!" Percy practically screamed. His sea-green eyes were dark but tears were clear. _"He_ isn't your family, _we_ are!"

"I don't care-!"

Makayla froze and her hands dropping to her side, shock coming to her face when someone moved forward from behind the three boys. There was a stunned silence as the boy's hidden helper slowly stepped towards the redhead.

"Kaykay... What are you doing?" Her light voice was soft but her hurt and confusion were evident.

"L- Lau- Lauren?" Makayla stuttered at the sight of her mortal sister-by-heart.

The raven walked closer to Makayla. She looked almost exactly as she had when Makayla had escaped and left her: shoulder-length black hair that had grown unevenly, her once tan skin now pale and unhealthy, the same cracked hazel eyes. Only now those eyes were filled with hurt. She wore faded jeans and a zipped up windbreaker. Ganabranth narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on Makayla's shoulder, pulling her back a step.

"How'd you get here?" He asked suspiciously. Lauren gave him the worst death glare the boys had ever seen, causing them to get shivers despite her being on their side.

"Why would I tell a _snake_ like you?" She growled in response, her voice telling the hatred she had for that man.

"Possibly because it was _my_ place that you somehow got out of." He answered with a voice equal in tone.

"Makayla, why would you do this?" Lauren asked, ignoring her now former captor. "Don't you remember what he did to us? He tore us to nothing! Just look at yourself; look at the marks he caused you."

Leo, Nico, and Percy said nothing as they watched the three in front of them. Their weapons remained in their hands but stood without moving.

Makayla however, seemed stunned to silence to see her friend. Another tear slid down her cheek only this time she didn't clear it. She stepped toward her friend and Ganabranth tried to grab her arm but she pulled away from him. The redhead stopped in front of Lauren then let out a sob before throwing her arms around her.

"I'm sorry Lauren!" She cried. "I never should have left you. I- I should have come back- I am so sorry!"

"It's alright, Kaykay. I'm here now and I'm out of there. It wasn't your fault." Lauren comforted, returning her friend's hug. Her eyes were locked on Ganabranth as if daring him to make a move. She pulled back from the hug, switching her gaze to the girl in front of her. Her eyes showed tears but held them back. "But _what_ are you _doing? Why_ would you side with him after everything he did to us?"

Makayla looked down, lip quivering.

"I'm sorry. I just... I couldn't go back to being hurt anymore. I knew I wouldn't be able to take it and I'd give up. I wanted to say no but I just couldn't." She confessed, shame in her hoarse voice. She then looked up. "But- he's been good since then. He's treated me like he would a real daughter; he's been nice."

Lauren slowly shook her head. Taking a step back, she reached up with her right hand and unzipped her jacket. It fell to the ground and Makayla's hands went to her mouth when she saw what she had forgotten about her friend.

Lauren was completely missing her left arm.

"He did this to me, Makayla," Lauren told her friend slowly. She placed her only hand on her best friends, moving it to the stump where her arm had once been. "Ganabranth is an evil man who does terrible things to innocent people."

"That's a bit harsh," Ganabranth argued, speaking for the first time in a while. He moved to walk towards Makayla but Lauren's only hand snatched redhead's sword, pulling it from its sheath and pointing it at the man.

"Not one more step." She demanded. Ganabranth stopped with a small amused smile on his lips. She turned back to Makayla, sword still pointed at Ganabranth. "Makayla, he's not just a bad person: he is evil. He is pure and selfishly evil. He only does things that will hurt other people and benefit himself. Just look at me! He took my arm without a second thought just because I was doing something he didn't like."

"H- He's not- I don't-" Makayla shook her head, unable to finish.

Anyone could see that she was completely torn between her friends and the man who claimed her as the replacement of his daughter. Lauren continued to press.

"He doesn't care about you. He knew that you would believe his words but they're just sugar-coated poison; they were lies. You know the real him even better than I do-"

"She's trying to turn you against me, Makayla." Ganabranth interrupted. He knew that Lauren was right and Makayla was starting to realize that. "All of them are. They're trying to confuse you and make you doubt yourself. They don't care about you like I do, they'll turn against you at the first chance they get-"

"Liar!" Percy exclaimed angrily.

"We would never do that, Makayla!" Nico told his friend.

"They're just confusing you," Ganabranth repeated.

"You're my sister," Leo added. "And even though you deny it I _know_ that part of you is still in there. We have the same mother, the same blood."

"Had." Ganabranth then said. Makayla glanced at him. "You had the same mother, Makayla, but don't you remember what happened? He changed that when he killed her."

"He's… right. You did kill her." She agreed slowly, turning to face her brother. Leo stumbled back like he was kicked in the gut. Makayla _never_ blamed him for their mother's death, she would never say that.

"What... why would you- why would you say that?" He whispered, tears coming to his eyes. "You told me... Kay- Makayla you're not you right now! He's doing something to twist your mind!"

"You know I wouldn't do that." Ganabranth denied.

"Stop! Stop it, _all_ of you! Stop messing with my head!" Makayla cried, stumbling back from the five people. She squeezed her eyes closed tightly and moved her hands over her ears. "You're just confusing me! I just- just g- give me a minute! _One minute! Please?!"_

No one spoke as Makayla tried to gather and untangle her thoughts. She had what she wanted to believe mixed with what she actually believed and it made her want to scream and rip her head apart. She knew Leo was her brother, she knew Nico was right that none of them would hurt her, and she knew that Lauren was telling the truth.

Ganabranth had hurt her and even took Lauren's arm because she helped her but she wanted to believe that he was different, she wanted to believe that he wouldn't hurt her anymore and he was no longer a threat. But... She tried to hide it from herself but part of her knew she was wrong.

She knew that Ganabranth was lying.

Makayla took a deep breath as her hands tangled into her hair and she tried to figure out what to say or do. She opened her mouth to speak but then a tingle ran through her spine and she froze.

her side"Oh gods. I-" A second later her knees gave out and she collapsed to the ground on her side.

"Makayla!"

Leo and Lauren ran to her side. Ganabranth was about to do the same but Nico appeared in front of him, Stygian Iron sword at his neck.

"Don't even think about it." He growled and Ganabranth raised his hands casually in surrender.

Leo slid to his knees by his sister's side, knowing that she was about to go into a flashback. He placed his hands on her cheeks, ready to try and pull her back but then paused. His heart screamed to pull her out but… his head- he knew that he shouldn't. After all, if it worked out the way he thought it would… then he would have his sister back.

"Leo, you've been there for her flashbacks. Can you stop it and pull her out?" Lauren asked the mechanic quickly. Leo paused then shook his head.

"I can but I'm not gonna do it." He told her honestly. Lauren stared at him in disbelief.

" _What?!_ Why not?! Leo, she'll get hurt!" She exclaimed, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Exactly. Think about it, if Kayla relives a memory then it'll probably be one of the ones it usually is: him hurting her." Leo explained, nodding to Ganabranth. Realization appeared in the mortal's eyes. "And if she relives the pain he caused her-"

"-then she'll remember how evil that ba***rd is. She'll forget that _vandr fjandí_ and come back to us!" Lauren finished.

 _(really bad/dirty words but basically: an evil man)_

"You know I can hear what you're saying, right?" Ganabranth reminded the two, arms crossed as he leaned against the ruined stone wall; Nico's Stygian Iron sword was still a threat. He was ignored.

"Now or never." Lauren voiced his thoughts as Makayla's body went limp. Leo nodded and placed his forehead against his sister's.

 _"Mantenerse fuerte, mi hermana."_ He whispered _. "Puedes hacerlo… regresa a mí."_

 _(Stay strong, my sister. You can do it… come back to me)_

Makayla's eyes glazed white she returned to the past.

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-seventh chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	48. Chapter 48 (part 1 of 2)

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **This. Is. It.**

 **The final battle.**

 **And I cannot wait! I am _SO_** **excited about your reactions I'm like- I'm gonna blow up! I spent about... probably a good week on this chapter and the next one since they are one chapter split into two parts. I couldn't squeeze it all into one update so right after I post this one, I'll post the next too. Also, it'd ruin the dramatic effect.**

 **V V V**

 _ **This is part 1 of the most important part of this story.**_

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**

 ** _VERY IMPORTANT!_**

This is a trigger warning!

The beginning part of this chapter could be considered a trigger to some so PLEASE do not read if there is any chance of being triggered by this, I would _hate_ myself if anyone got hurt because of my writing.

I will put a note at the end to let you know when it's over and safe to read.

* * *

 _Makayla opened her eyes as she heard the cell door open. She was wrapped in Lauren's embrace, the two girls trying to keep warm against the freezing stone. Looking up she saw a familiar figure standing at the door.  
_

 _"Red hair. You turn." The guard told the two gruffly. He never said their names, only calling them by the color of their hair. Makayla felt Lauren hold her tighter._

 _"She's not going." She told the man like she did every time they came for her._

 _The guard just rolled his eyes. He entered the cell and walked forward, grabbing Makayla by her arm and pulling her to her feet. Lauren jumped up but the man had left the cell and slammed the door shut before she could reach her, the door locking on its own once closed._

 _He slipped the key into his pocket as he led Makayla away. Doing the same thing they always did, the man pulled her in front of him and let go of her arm as he knew by now that she wouldn't run. It was pointless to try. He directed her into a room past a couple of halls and chained her wrists to the floor once inside._

 _"He'll be in later." The man said. Then, like always, he turned and left._

 _Almost as if it were a tradition, Makayla struggled against the bonds until she lost the energy to continue and slumped to the floor._

 _She sat alone and bored for about an hour before a key jiggled in the lock and Ganabranth entered. Like always, he had a smile on his face but this time it seemed... different. As if he had an idea to do something new. He walked over to Makayla and pulled up a chair, sitting on it backward in front of her._

 _"Good afternoon, Beautiful!" He greeted._

 _"You look happy. Kill any puppies today?" She asked sarcastically in response. Ganabranth shook his head._

 _"Nah. I may be a nut-job and not the nicest person but I at least have respect for nature and animals." He told her honestly._

 _"What, you a vegetarian or something?"_

 _"Actually yes I am. I find murdering animals only to eat them nothing but cruel." The older man admitted._

 _Makayla raised an eyebrow._

 _"So killing and eating animals is cruel but torturing and cutting images onto humans isn't?" She clarified._

 _"Sarcastic as usual, aren't we Gorgeous?"_

 _"That's a new one," Makayla noted. Usually, her nickname was Beautiful. Again something seemed off but she just couldn't place what it was._

 _"Indeed it is. That's because today we're gonna do something a bit different!" Ganabranth announced with that cruel smile of his. A tremble ran down Makayla's spine._

 _"Wh- What do- what do you mean?" She wondered, now nervous. Ganabranth rarely ever did anything new. The last time he did was when he gave her her Snake Scar._

 _"Well, I've tried almost everything to make you break and give up. Physical pain doesn't seem to work and neither does mental. I had an idea earlier, and after I thought about it for a good while, I decided why not? Why not do something that tears you down emotionally so bad that instead of cracking, it will completely shatter you?"_

 _Ganabranth had that look in his eyes again. Makayla still couldn't pinpoint what it was but she had a very, very bad feeling._

 _"An- and what- what's that?" She managed to ask. Ganabranth grinned but said nothing._

 _Instead, he stood and removed Makayla's chains from the wall then brought her to a small table but instead of laying her onto her back like usual, he locked her chains on the far side so she was standing, leaning on her stomach over the table. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt Ganabranth trail his hand across her back as he moved around her. Makayla felt her stomach drop as a suspicion formed in her mind._

 _No, he wouldn't do something that awful... would he?_

 _"So here's what will happen," He began, hopping onto the table so he sat beside her torso. "I'm going to ask you a question. I will give you two chances to answer and after that, you'll be done. No pleading for another chance, no begging, no trying to negotiate, nothing. If you do choose to answer but it's_ after _your two chances then you'll basically have wasted it because it'll be too late. Sound like a deal?"_

"Púdrete en el infierno." _Makayla cursed in answer. Ganabranth just smiled and rubbed his hands together._

(rot in hell)

 _"Alright. So here's my question: Do you give up?" He asked. "I can tell that you're starting to figure out what's going to happen if you don't so if you give up now and let me take what I want, you can avoid it. But if you disagree then there's no escape. So are you willing to finally give up and stop all this?"_

 _Makayla for once paused. She still wasn't sure what he meant when he said, "take what he wanted." She had nothing to take. But whatever it was, if he was going through so much to try to have it then it was obviously important and she refused to let him have what he wanted. But… if she kept that mindset then…_

 _She took a deep and shaking breath._

 _"No. I will never give up, not to a snake." She decided. She expected to see that angry disappointment in his eyes that he usually had but instead, she was awarded something far worse: he looked almost_ happy _that she had chosen that answer._

 _"Last chance: are you sure that's what you want your answer to be?" Ganabranth confirmed, moving off the table. Makayla answered in the affirmative, shutting her eyes tight. He clicked his tongue._

 _"Bummer. It would have been so much easier for you if you had only agreed. Fortunately for me, I was fine either way. No matter what your answer was, I got something I wanted." He told her with an evil chuckle._

 _Makayla's heart broke when she realized what that look in his eyes had been earlier: lust, terrible horrible lust._

 _She held back a sob as Ganabranth trailed his hand down her practically back, slowly walking around her. His hands were ice cold and left her skin tingling uncomfortably. He stopped and placed both hands on her sides, moving uncomfortably low on her waist. His right hand moved up and down her thigh as he chuckled._

 _"Because I'm in a good mood, I'll give you one last chance to change your mind." He decided. Makayla felt a tear slide down her cheek and closed her eyes tight, again shaking her head._

 _"No." She answered. She could only manage one word._

 _"Alrighty then. You had better pray to those dads of yours that you can still function tomorrow." He told her as he squeezed her sides._

 _Makayla heard something unzip and finally released the sob she had held back until then, allowing her tears to fall._

 **_x_xX_xXx_Xx_x_**

 _Makayla didn't know how long it had been before she was thrown into her cell once more. She was still crying, not having stopped since she first started. All she knew was she hurt far too terribly for her to even think of moving, especially her lower body. She had never felt so broken, humiliated, tormented, and so_ violated _in her entire lift. Lauren quickly rushed to her side._

 _"Makayla! Thank god you're back! What happened? Where did he hurt you?" She asked, knowing that it was pointless to ask_ if _she was hurt as she undoubtedly was._

 _Makayla said nothing. She had shattered, Ganabranth finally broke her._ _She knew she could have stopped him. She could have just told him what he wanted to know and given him what he kept asking for. Instead, she was stubborn and he hurt her. She couldn't move, she couldn't talk, the only thing she could do was cry as she relived that moment._

 _Those sounds he made echoed in her ears as she cried and begged him to stop. Just the thought of how he chained her hands in front of her, binding her so she couldn't move, how his hands trailed over her bare skin… how he forced himself onto her..._

 _She could hear Lauren begging for her to let her help but she just pushed her away. Her tears continued to stream down her cheeks as her breathing came in gasps. Eventually, after who knows how long, Makayla felt herself get dizzy from the lack of oxygen she was getting through her sobs and she slipped into unconsciousness._

 _Rhis time she clung to the darkness, determined to never let it go._

 **Trigger Warning End**

* * *

Leo held his sister as she relived her past.

He sat with his sister in his arms, Lauren to her side holding her hand. Makayla's body had started shaking horribly after the third minute into her flashback and tears streamed silently from her closed eyes, worrying Leo. She hadn't screamed like she had last time though so he had hope. Ganabranth remained leaning against the wall; Nico's sword was still a threat and Percy stood by him. He had Riptide in his hand but it was in pen form.

"Leo, it's been five minutes. The last one was like two. How do you know she's even going to come out?" The son of Poseidon announced, breaking the silence. He sounded worried.

"I _don't_ know," Leo replied quietly, his eyes remaining locked on his sister. "But I'm praying _so goddamn hard_ that she will."

As if on cue, Makayla's eyes flew open and she gasped. Her eyes and Snake Scar glowed for several seconds before slowly fading out. Her breathing was hard as she blinked and took several deep breaths before frowning, trying to see where she was.

"Makayla! D- Do you know who I am?" Leo quickly asked.

"Leo? L- Lauren?" Makayla muttered, seeing her brother and friend, confused. Leo sighed in relief and hugged her, beyond glad that she hadn't had another memory loss.

"We're right here." He told her firmly. "We're not going anywhere."

"What… what happened?" Makayla muttered as she blinked several times.

"You had a flashback again," Lauren explained. "Where are you hurt?"

"I'm not sure… I don't know if..." Makayla trailed off slowly.

Leo moved to help her sit up but as soon as she moved her lower body she cried out from the pain she felt and pulled herself from his grasp.

"Are you okay?!" Lauren quickly asked. Makayla shook her head, a hand on her lower waist.

"No, it hurts so bad." She whimpered, failing to hold back tears as she held herself. Lauren frowned for a second then noticed where Makayla's hand. She seemed to realize and gasped, her only hand going to her mouth.

"Oh my god, your memory. _Né… néiat semn, néiat thae…_ Oh god- Makayla please, please tell me it wasn't- that it- it wasn't when he..." She couldn't finish but her sister-by-heart knew. The redhead lowered her gaze in shame and nodded, face contorted in pain.

 _(No… not that, not then)_

Lauren knelt silently for a moment before her face turned dark red, eyes flaring with a fire of such furious hatred that even Leo leaned away.

She stood and grabbed Makayla's sword from the ground, storming over to Ganabranth. She practically shoved Nico aside and slammed Ganabranth against the wall, pressing the sword against his throat hard enough to cause him to wince as a pinprick of blood appeared.

 _"YOU BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU?!"_ She screamed, face dark and voice filled with fury and outrage. "You had _NO_ right to touch her! You had already caused her more pain than anyone else on this earth and you thought you could do _s**t_ like that?! You wanted her power so _damn_ bad that you _violated_ a fifteen-year-old girl! You are insane! You are a crazy, soulless bastard who deserves to rot in _worse_ than The Void!"

Lauren's face was dark red from the anger she felt and her eyes held a fire that scared every person there, including the ones on her side. Percy, Nico, and Leo stood (or knelt in Leo's case) in shock at the raven-haired girl's words. At first, they had been confused by her sudden outburst but they heard her say "violated" and their switches were flipped. They felt furious, almost as much as she did.

"What did you do to Makayla?!" Nico demanded, his Stygian Iron sword gripped tight enough that his knuckles turned white. A slow grin slid across Ganabranth's face, still well aware of the sword at his throat. She didn't directly say it but he knew what Lauren was referring to.

"All I did was have some fun." He told him, his voice dripping with false innocence. Lauren pressed the sword hard enough against his throat that a thick line of blood appeared, her only hand holding it in a steel-tight grip.

 _"Bull***t!"_ She growled.

"Well, maybe it wasn't so fun for her." He admitted. Then his grin widened. "But I sure had a good time. Those feelings, the sound of her screaming my name, her warm skin-"

 _"MOTHERFUCKER!"_ Leo charged towards Ganabranth intending to burn him alive with bare hands.

"Leo stop it!" Percy exclaimed as he and Nico quickly grabbed him and held him back, despite looking just as angry. Leo's struggling ceased but the two boys didn't let go. His glare alone could have torn him apart like a rabid wolf.

"If you ever even _think_ of touching my sister again I swear I will kill you. I will _tear you apart_ until there is nothing left to even remember." He threatened, voice so dead serious and dark that Ganabranth felt shivers run down his spine.

Makayla felt tears come to her eyes. She hadn't moved but having remembered what he did to her and hearing how protective her brother and friends were of her… They made her realize that she had been wrong; Ganabranth was an evil man who did only had the intention of using her. She felt like an idiot. She had been so focused on trying to keep herself safe that she had been completely blind to the truth and her true family had been trying to give her back her sight. She never felt more love for her friends and never felt more sure about what she had to do then she did then.

Ganabranth had to be stopped and Makayla knew that she was the only one who could do it.

"Leo?" She called. Her brother immediately moved her side once more.

"What's wrong?" He quickly asked.

"Help me stand." She told him, moving to sit up.

"Kayla you're way too hurt-" Leo began to protest but once she gave him a look, he stopped and relented.

Leo wrapped his arm around her shoulders but Percy saw her trembling and moved to her other side and together they helped her stand. The pain was so bad she wanted to scream and cry but she ignored it, though she gave several gasps and whimpers of pain as her legs barely managed to hold her weight. The two boys helped her move closer to where Lauren stood still holding the sword to Ganabranth's throat.

"When I accepted your offer, Ganabranth, I swore that I would side with you only if you never hurt me again and you swore to agree by that as well," Makayla told Ganabranth. The man nodded as much as he could without touching the sword, remembering what he had said. "But you broke that oath."

"How so?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow. "In case you didn't notice, I never once harmed you since you agreed."

"That's where you're wrong." She told him, shaking her head. She saw the confused look on his face and continued. "You hurt me not five minutes ago when you forced yourself onto me. Right now I can barely even stand because of the pain that you caused me. Yes, it happened in the past but my mind and body just went back in time to relive my memory and that means that my present body got hurt too." The realization was beginning to show in Ganabranth's eyes. "Right now, my body is hurt because of what you did to me which means you broke that promise. I am now free from anything that binds me to you and prevents me from hurting you in return."

A smile spread across Leo's face as he too realized what Makayla had said. Because of her flashback, Ganabranth had hurt her current body thus breaking his deal and letting Makayla free.

"You're a smart girl," Ganabranth admitted sourly. "I shouldn't be surprised that you outwitted me. So I guess the question is: what will you do now?"

Makayla's eyes darkened. Shaking free from Leo and Percy, she tried to take a step forward but stumbled to her knees with a whimper. She waved the boys off. She took a deep breath and shakily managed to stand, brushing a strand of her red hair from her face. She inhaled deeply and slowly took a few breaths until she stood by Lauren.

The Daughter or Two took her sword from her friend and the mortal stepped back. Makayla stared Ganabranth straight in his muck-green eyes, something she had never been able to do until that moment. She held the tip of her sword to his throat.

"You hurt me. You hurt me beyond repair and I will never have a normal life without worry and fear because of you. But you also taught me. You taught me how to survive through hell, remain strong through the darkest times, and most importantly: you taught me how to use my power. Ganabranth Bowick... you asked me what I'm going to do now?"

Makayla's face hardened, her eyes a swirling maze of emotion.

"I'm taking payback: I am going to make you feel every single bit of _pain_ and _hurt_ and _anguish_ that you have inflicted upon every person ever."

Makayla was serious, no doubts anywhere in her mind. Ganabranth's eyes actually widened at her words. His fear was obvious as he tried to say something but stopped when _Ligero_ was pressed deeper into his neck. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

 _'I can do this.'_ She thought to herself. _'I'm not the scared and helpless girl I once was. I am Makayla Valdez the daughter of two Olympians. It's there, deep inside. Just let it out. I- I can save everyone. C'mon Makayla!_ _I. Can. Do. This.'_

Letting her sword fall Makayla raised both hands, palms facing the man who tortured, violated, abused, and scarred her life. She could feel the power ready to be released from its prison deep inside her and knew what she had to do:

She accepted it

Makayla's eyes snapped open, glowing pure silver. Her body felt as if she had just awoken for the first time in her life. She was aware of everything: the heartbeat of her friends, the whistling of the breeze, the heat from the sun, the rotation of the world, she felt it all. Most importantly, she was aware of the man in front of her.

Reaching deeper, her hands began to glow. She could feel the power surging through her body like electricity, filling her with energy and strength and courage. Her power filled every vein in her body, every organ, every muscle until it felt like she would explode. Instead, she focused her mind on everything this man had done and raised her hands higher towards Ganabranth. His eyes widened.

 _"You've caused the sufferings of too many. Now and for the rest of your time you will feel that pain."_ Makayla's voice was so strong and so filled with power that it shook, the power in her voice resonating through the bodies of every person.

Her hands grew brighter and brighter until it was unbearable. Then there was a blinding flash of light and Ganabranth screamed. A pulse of energy shot through them all and Lauren, Leo, Nico, and Percy were thrown off their feet.

Then suddenly it all stopped.

Time seemed to be frozen: there was no sound, nothing and no one moved, nothing to see but the light from the flash. For that moment, the entire world froze. Then time began to move again.

Leo, Percy, Nico, and Lauren felt themselves fall and landed on their backs on the hard ground as the light faded. Vision blurred and ears ringing, when their eyes cleared they saw everything the same despite the feeling like forever had passed. There was only one difference in the world: Makayla stood in the same place...

But Ganabranth was gone

* * *

 **And that concludes the forty-eighth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **Only two more to go and I am _so_ excited**

 ** _Please_ leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome!**

 **Have a good one and I'll see you later!**


	49. Chapter 49 (48 part 2 of 2)

**Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**

 **T his is part 2 of the most important part of this story. It was too long to add to the last chapter so this is like... the second part of an update. Also, this way it's _way_ more dramatic and like _*BAM!*_ so I split it.**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

A/N:

So I've had a couple of questions about the Shadow Creature, mostly being what happened to it. The answer:

So The Shadow Creature is Its own being and has own's own intentions. For a while, It was helping Ganabranth as the two searched for Makayla but once she was found by Ganabranth, it sorta just stayed in the background. So It is still alive and everything ( _kinda_ cuz it's a shadow) but It's just chilling and doing its own thing now.

* * *

The glow faded from Makayla's eyes and hands before her knees buckled.

"Whoa, are you okay?" Nico worried as he and Leo jumped to their feet to catch her before she hit the ground. Makayla shook her head to clear it.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. My legs just hurt a lot so it's hard to stand." She answered, sounding fine.

"What the _hell_ was that...?" Leo gaped, amazed confusion in his voice. Makayla shrugged, wrapping her arms around her brother to stay upright.

"I'm gonna be honest: I'm not a hundred percent sure." She admitted.

"What do you mean?" Percy frowned.

"Like, I knew _what_ I was doing but I don't really know _how_ I was doing it. It- It's hard to explain."

"Could you at least give a summary?"

The redhead paused for a moment as she tried to think of how to phrase her words

"I've always been so scared of my powers but I finally accepted it. I embraced my power and used it to- how do I put this... I used it to make him feel all the pain and suffering he's put on others. So he's _dead_ -dead cuz I..." She blushed. "Iscatteredhisspiritanderasedhimfromexistence."

Makayla finished quickly, nervous about how her friends would react. There was silence for a moment.

"But-but how? Like I get that you're two-thirds god and all, and that's awesome, but how did you get powers that make you able to do something like that? Hermes and Hephaestus don't have any powers even _close_ to what you just did." Percy's voice was filled with awe. Makayla shrugged, stumbling.

"I honestly have no idea." She winced, shaking her head. "I mean, yeah, it makes sense that I'm stronger than most other of us and that's understandable. But being able to erase a person from existence? I feel like a wizard; all I need now is a broom."

Despite the tension in the air, her friends laughed. Then Makayla's smile slowly faded as the completely unbelievable truth finally began to settle.

"Hey. Are you okay? Leo asked, seeing her smile fade. His sister slowly shook her head.

"He's gone." She murmured, voice a whisper.

"Yeah, but isn't that a good thing?" Nico wondered. Makayla slowly shook her head.

"You don't get it." She stuttered, tears coming to her eyes as realization set. "He's gone. He's gone and he's not coming back! I'm- I'm-"

Makayla's voice cracked from the absolute joy that filled her heart, mind, and body. She shook her head in minor disbelief as her hand moved to her mouth. Glancing over she saw that Lauren looked no better; the mortal was frozen in place, crying her own tears as she too realized the truth of Makayla's words.

She looked over and nodded slowly before a sob-like laugh escaped her lips. The two girls hugged each other tightly as they cried.

"He's gone! Kaykay, he- I-" Lauren repeated, sobbing tears of joy. "He's gone forever, you're free from him now!"

"I know, Lauren, I know. But it's not just me." Makayla broke the embrace enough to look at her sister-by-heart. The demigod smiled and wiped a tear from her friend's cheek. "You are too. Everyone is safe because he will never ever hurt anyone and guess what? You're a part of everyone."

Lauren sobbed again and embraced her again.

Leo, Percy, and Nico stood in respective silence as they happily watched the two girls. They knew how important that moment was for them; having been tortured captives of Ganabranth, Makayla and Lauren had obviously been severely traumatized. Both would undoubtedly have nightmares and flashbacks of The Serpents group but never again would they have to run or hide or live their lives in constant fear.

The threat to people, gods, and life itself was now gone.

Forever.

* * *

 **And that concludes** **part 2/2 of chapter** **forty-eight of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!**


	50. Our Goodbye

**Welcome**

 **Welcome to the _final_ _chapter_ of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies**

 **The beginning of the end. The start of our conclusion. Our story is at its end.**

 **I can't believe it... we're actually here: the final chapter, the end of our story!** **I _cannot_ begin to tell you how thankful I am that you've stuck with me this whole time. It means _so_ _much_ to know and see that people are reading what I have worked to create and form. I loved every second spent creating our adventure and pray to the gods that you do as well. So again, thank you.**

 **So for the last time...**

 **I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!**

* * *

"Okay, serious question time: what's changed in the world in the past five and a half years?"

Percy, Jason, Piper, Annabeth, Hazel, Frank, Leo, Makayla, Nico, and Lauren were in the Big house, lounging on the couches. The ten had had their fill of celebrations as Camp Half-Blood celebrated their victory and the defeat of the world's biggest threat and decided to instead spend their well-earned free time together.

After Makayla had defeated Ganabranth, his control over the hundreds of people and demigods in The Serpents had been broken. The majority had been forced into their role and immediately apologized and begged for forgiveness, praying to be allowed to go back to their lives. Several of the higher-ranked members, like Johnathan, had chosen to join though and refused to surrender; those members were currently being dealt with by Chiron and the Olympians.

"Oof. That's a tough one. We might not be able to answer in one day." Leo joked in response to Lauren's question. His friends rolled their eyes. "What!"

"To answer your question." Annabeth interrupted. "There are some stupid rules now about immigration, they started legalizing some drugs, there was a bunch of stuff going on about gay marriages, a president was impeached; political stuff really."

"No one's really been paying attention but s**t's gone down." Percy agreed.

"I meant _important_ stuff, geez." Lauren joked as her new friends laughed. "But like, is there a new continent discovered or a cure for cancer or Bob Ross came back to life?"

"Bob who?" Leo wondered. His friends' shock was genuine.

"Bob wh- oh my god! You don't know who Bob Ross is?!" Lauren exclaimed. Leo shook his head.

"He is only like, the _sweetest_ and most _innocent_ and most _amazing_ artist ever!" Piper gushed. "Haven't you heard the quote "We don't make mistakes, we just have happy accidents"?"

"Oh, oh! I know that guy!" Percy suddenly exclaimed, shooting up in his seat. "He's the painter with the brown afro! I used to watch his videos with mom when I was younger. He made videos of painting landscapes and had the softest voice ever."

"Let's build a happy little cloud and a happy little tree, everyone should have a friend." Annabeth agreed with a smile.

"Thank you!" Lauren exclaimed. She turned back to Leo. "One day I am going to sit your butt down and we are gonna watch Bob Ross create masterpieces."

Leo still wasn't sure who Bob Ross was but agreed anyway.

"Hey, Kayla? Can I ask you something?" Hazel then asked Makayla. She was leaned into Frank's embrace as he played with her curly hair.

"Sure. What's up? The redhead agreed, smiling at the nickname, as she tried to get Lauren to eat something.

"If you're okay with saying… what's it like to have two dads? That are gods, I mean." She wondered. Makayla paused her attempted force-feeding and thought for a moment. She noticed all her friends went quiet, wanting to know as well.

"Well… I'm not sure, to be honest. I mean, I've been how I am my entire life so I don't really know what it'd be like to be you guys just and have one godly parent. I haven't always known who my dads were but that didn't really bug me as much as I let on. If they were like, always doing stuff for me then that'd be different. Yes, they helped me in ways I hadn't seen until now. Still..."

She paused before she held her hand out, a small flame dancing on her palm.

"I'm not saying that I hate my life or the fact that I'm different. Yes, it's weird that I have all these strange powers that come from basically nowhere. For the longest time, it scared me so much but… I've come to accept myself now and that means accepting my parentage too."

As she spoke, Makayla lit her palm faintly so the fire was surrounded by a silver sphere.

"Being honest, I don't have the slightest clue where your powers come from either. I know for a fact that your two dads don't can't do that kinda stuff but nevertheless... I think you're pretty awesome." Jason told her with a smile. Makayla returned the smile.

"Thank you, all of you guys." She thanked. She closed her palm, extinguishing the flame and light.

"I don't have your abilities so I can't speak for you. I won't say that I don't think they'd be scary but I do think that having your own type of power like that makes you unique and even more special." Frank added.

"Aww, Frank! Aren't you such a sweet-talker." She teased. The son of Mars blushed but chuckled.

Hey guys? I've been wondering… what do we do now that we beat our bad guy?" Leo then asked. He had shifted and was now hanging off the couch upside down. The ten shared looks, not sure. Annabeth opened her mouth to voice the thought when the main door and Chiron entered.

"Makayla? Ah, there you are, I need to speak with you. The gods… the gods have summoned you to Olympus." He announced after a moment's hesitation. Makayla felt her heart drop.

"Kayla? Are you alright?" Leo asked, sitting up as he saw his sister grow pale. His face and voice told his worry and the redhead couldn't blame him; she knew that someday the gods would find out about her but she had hoped it wouldn't be for a long while.

"Makayla _can't_ go. The gods will try to get rid of her, they'll think she's too dangerous." Nico told the centaur seriously. He was sitting on the ground by Makayla's feet, playing with a small figurine.

"I know, Nico." Chiron agreed sadly. "But we cannot ignore a direct order from the gods. All we can do is go and pray they are in a forgiving mood."

* * *

Makayla could feel her pulse throughout her entire body, pounding harder with every step she took

She, Percy, Nico, Leo, and Lauren had been summoned to Olympus and her heart was ready to burst. She was so nervous; never before had someone been born of one mortal parent and two Olympians. She knew that just existing was dangerous enough, let alone being known about by the gods.

"Kaykay? Are you alright" Lauren sounded worried as she slipped her hand into her friend's.

The one-armed girl had been given a special one-time pass by the gods that allowed her on Olympus. Being mortal, she wasn't able to see through the Mist as well as others but she could see well enough to admire the home of the gods.

"No, not really." The redhead replied, squeezing her hand tight.

"You'll be fine; I won't let anything happen to you again," Leo assured her, walking on her right.

"We all are." Nico added, the others having come as well.

Makayla nodded and took a shaky breath as they climbed the steps to the Gods' Throne Room, forcing down the thoughts of giant beings shooting her with lightning bolts or turning her into a corn stalk or sending owls after her.

Breaths coming in anxious but silent gasps, she followed her friends into the large building. The demigods were surprised to see almost all the gods already there: Poseidon sat with his head in his hand while Hades, stood off to the side in the shadows as he talked on his phone to Charon. Aphrodite was sitting on her throne as she perfected her lipstick in a handheld mirror, ignoring Demeter as the goddess talked about cereal. And Hephaestus and Hermes…

The two were standing in front of Zeus's throne as they argued angrily with the King of The Gods.

Annabeth cleared her throat loudly as they entered, catching the attention of the immortals. The twelve gods cut off their arguments and conversations as they moved to their appointed thrones.

"Heroes. Come closer," Zeus greeted. Nico, Percy, Leo, Makayla, and Lauren exchanged looks before moving to the center of the room, unconsciously forming a circle around the redhead in protection. The other five stayed back.

"You five have done us all a great favor and for that the Gods of Olympus thank you." The god announced. Makayla could see Percy ready to correct him and quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing it tight enough to hurt in a signal to him to stay quiet. He got her message and reluctantly said nothing.

"Because of you, The Serpents and their leader were defeated and the danger of them is no more," Hera added, giving a small bow of her head despite clearly not wanting to. As predictably usual, the demigods were each allowed one request.

Clearly wanting a break, Percy asked _(see: demanded)_ for some peace and quiet while he and Annabeth attended college. With muttering and grumbling, the gods reluctantly agreed.

Nico didn't answer when the gods asked him for his request. He didn't seem to have one so they skipped him for the time being.

Obviously very overwhelmed by the twelve supreme beings, Lauren stuttered but spoke as nicely as possible as she poured out titles and compliments. Now a part of the world of Greek Mythology, she asked for permission to be allowed to enter Camp Half-Blood and see through the Mist. Obviously loving her flattery, the gods agreed without bothering to question her reasons.

When it came to Leo's turn, he stood protectively in front of his sister, holding her hand tightly in his.

"Leo Valdez. What is your wish?" Zeus thundered. Without turning, the older Valdez squeezed his sister's hand in reassurance.

"What I want is for you to free Makayla." He decided. "Get rid of her Snake Scar so she can't be controlled or forced into anything ever again."

"Unfortunately, that we can't do," Poseidon finally confessed awkwardly after a very long minute. When asked why not, Athena instead answered.

"When The Serpents' Leader gave Makayla her mark, he did so with magic that even the gods together cannot unbind." She explained. Makayla felt her heart drop. She knew he had been strong but she had no idea _how_ strong.

"I wish there was a way we could somehow undo everything that man has done but there is unfortunately not. The most that we could do is clean body her of her other marks." Artemis apologized with a sigh.

Leo agreed before Makayla could talk and a moment later, she felt a tingling spread through her. It was as though her whole body had fallen asleep. She looked at her arm and her free hand went to her mouth as she gasped; a moment ago, Makayla's body had been marred with hundreds of scars and marks of harm, reminding her of her time as a tortured captive. Pale white lines had crisscrossed over her body, leaving no open spaces on her skin. But now…

Now the only marks on her body were the twin snakes, her skin otherwise clear and smooth.

Makayla felt her eyes water as she slowly ran her hand along her arm, a tear falling from her smooth skin. Looking up, she could see Lauren crying gently as well. The two immediately embraced, both now feeling complete and honestly free from Ganabranth and his pain.

"Makayla Valdez!"

The pale redhead looked up and gulped worriedly when her name was called. Taking a deep breath to try to calm her shaking hands, she slowly stepped forward. Leo tried to hold her back, but she brushed him off, moving forward until she stood in the center of the room. From the corner of her silver eyes, she could see her brother and friends looking worried.

"Makayla. You have done the gods a great favor and for that, you have our thanks. However. That is no reason to excuse what you are," Zeus announced, voice hard. The redhead felt pale but dropped her gaze.

"I- I understand." She sighed, voice barely loud enough for the giant beings to hear. "But I beg you not to punish a daughter for the actions of her parents. I- I had no control over my birth."

"That is true and you are correct but even so, you are too strong." Athena reminded.

"Makayla is a hero! I know this isn't my world but she defeated Gan-G- _him_. You gods should be thanking her! Because of her, your greatest enemy is gone forever." Lauren called out. The twelve gods shared glances between themselves.

"That is true but a demigod born of two godly parents has never before happened in history." Poseidon reminded. Makayla moved to respond but was stunned to silence by who decided to interrupt.

"You know whose fault that is and it isn't Makayla's so don't blame her." Hephaestus's gruff voice was deep and intimidating as it echoed in the large room.

"If anything, blame him or me but don't make _my_ daughter feel guilty for being born," Hermes added. The voice of the usually cheery trickster was hard.

"It doesn't matter whose fault it is." Zeus shook his head. "Makayla is too powerful and must be dealt with."

"And how exactly do you plan on doing that?" Hades asked his brother. He was obviously miffed that Makayla had managed to avoid the grips of death so many times but said nothing of it as he stood creepily to the side.

"Lightning? Drown her in the Styx? We could throw her from Olympus? That would be poetic. Or we could light her up till she's a pile of ashes?" Ares seemed eager as he sharpened a gigantic broadsword, his red eyes glowing behind his sunglasses.

"She's my daughter, balls-for-brains. She can't burn." Hephaestus told him with a frown. Ares glared and Zeus said nothing as he thought.

"Well, she's too powerful to keep around." He decided. "So however it is, she'll have to go."

Immediately there was chaos. Hermes and Hephaestus jumped to their feet, yelling the loudest. The twelve gods started to argue and Ares and Athena even reached for weapons. Makayla felt her eyes widen and her heart raced as she felt overwhelmed, stumbling back. Just before her foot slipped, a familiar pale hand suddenly shot out and grabbed ahold of her. They pulled her toward them and, not knowing what else to do, she clung to their jacket tightly and buried her face in his chest.

"Just breathe. I'm right here, nothing's gonna happen."

Nico whispered reassuringly in her ear. His arms moved protectively around her back. Makayla felt the safety the son of Hades gave wash over her and she took a deep breath. Minute by minute she felt her heart rate slow as she breathed deeply, the gods still arguing. Then two very angry voices shook the room.

" _No one_ is going to touch Makayla!"

"If _any_ _of you_ move to hurt our daughter then you move to war!"

Ten voices immediately dropped silent, turning to the sources. Makayla's purple eyes widened and she could help as she cried silent tears. Her fathers would stand against the King of The Gods and even go to war just to defend her?

Hermes and Hephaestus both looked completely fed up with their fellow gods but the seriousness and anger in their eyes were clear. Hera was the first to break the silence.

Hermes! Hephaestus! How dare you-" She started but was unable to finish.

"If any of you move to hurt our daughter… you move to war." The god of thieves repeated, his voice deadly low.

"You two can't be serious." Dionysus huffed but the god of wine visibly paled when he saw the fire in the blacksmith's eyes.

"No one. Touches. Makayla." He repeated firmly before turning to the god of the sky. "Are we agreed? Or will you risk war?"

The world held it's breath it waited for a response. The three gods had their eyes locked in a silent battle of strength. It was a _very_ long two minutes later but Zeus sat back in his throne before nodding once.

"Agreed." He decided quietly. "Makayla Valdez will hereon be watched by the Gods of Olympus but no harm will come to her or her future kin."

Relief immediately flowed through the ten demigods. They ran to embrace their friend and sister while the gods flashed away, one-by-one leaving until only two remained. Makayla couldn't stop herself from crying tears of relief as she was loved and hugged by her friends, each one saying how glad they were and how worried they had been. But the mini-celebration was stopped fast.

"Makayla... Can we talk with you for a moment?"

Not even a minute later, Annabeth had herded everyone except Makayla and Leo outside as the gods stood in front of the two. The redhead felt her brother unconsciously move toward her as she stared with tearing eyes at the two men in front of her.

"You... I- I'm proud of you, Makayla." Hephaestus told her as he shifted awkwardly on his crutch

"We both are." Hermes agreed. "But I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry we were never there for you when you needed us, we both love you so much but…" He sighed. "I hope you realize that we weren't trying to ignore you on purpose."

"We knew Zeus would see you as a threat and knew the only way to keep you a secret from him was if we never contacted you or did anything to draw his attention." Hephaestus tried to explain. He seemed unsure of what to say next, almost as if he had played the conversation in his head but it went differently.

"Dad… dads- I- I don't…" Makayla could only shake her head, her emotions were overwhelming.

She said nothing as she stepped closer to her two fathers. She stood in front of them for a moment before a sob escaped her lips and she jumped forward, throwing her arms around them as her tears fell. The two immortals were taken back for a second, not expecting the sudden action, but that second ended soon and they moved to return their daughter's hug.

"I know you've never _wanted_ to ignore me, I think I've always known that," Makayla told them with a sigh after stepping back. "And when I look back I can see that you really were helping me. You sent to many people and things and- I…" Her voice faded out and she trailed off. "When you came to Camp Half-Blood, it was because Leo told you I was poisoned. You ignored all the trouble you could have got in just because you were worried about me but I… I was angry." She took a breath and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I was angry with you because before that moment I didn't know who you were and it hurt."

Hermes and Hephaestus couldn't help but wince at the reminder, both still feeling awful. Makayla noticed.

"But watching you both threaten to go to war with the king of the gods just to protect me… I feel like _I_ should be the one apologizing."

"What? Why?" The two gods frowned. Their daughter smiled.

"Becuase it took being threatened to be thrown off Mount Olympus for me to realize that I have the best godly fathers that any demigod could ask for." Tears in all of their eyes, they again embraced and Makayla smiled in contentment as her fathers and brother held her.

Even on the way back to camp, she couldn't shake her smile. Once she passed Camp half-Blood's barrier and saw Jakob and Lauren and Leo and Ashlyn and all her friends there to greet her and welcome her back, she felt a swelling in her chest she had never felt before. But she what it meant:

Makayla Valdez was finally home to stay.

* * *

 **And that concludes the last and final chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies**

 **I want to thank you all again for sharing in this adventure with me and Makayla**

 **Have a good one and** **I hope I hope to see you all again someday!**


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